Living Each Other's Lives
by NinjahGirl
Summary: Dumbledore has introduced a new programme, in which a pure-blood stays in a muggle-born's home, and vice versa. The worst case scenario actually happens, and Hermione's paired with the person she'd been least expecting. Will the unthinkable happen, and they start to get along, or even more? Or will the trip descend into complete chaos? A coming of age fic.
1. The new program

**A/N: Hello! And welcome back! So yeah, here's the remade 'Living Each Other's Lives'. The chapters will be relatively the same to those in my old story (to those who are confused, I wrote two short chapters on this story, but decided to delete them because I didn't think they were that good).**

Hermione took a deep breath, and stepped onto the train lugging her suitcase behind her. Usually, she would have Crookshanks on her shoulder, or balancing on her luggage, but she decided to leave him at home for once. Anyway, it wasn't like there was going to be any unexpected visitors. At least, that's what she thought. Hermione scanned the carriages, and her face brightened as she saw Ron and Harry gesture her over to the carriage they were sitting in. Smoothing down her hair (to no avail) she opened the door, and then sat down.

"Hermione!" Harry said, smiling. "How're you?" He asked. She grinned.

"Fine, just fine." She smiled at Ron, who also greeted her. Thank God there was no awkwardness between them anymore. Their relationship was over quicker than you could say 'butterbeer'. They sat back and rested in a peaceful silence. A new start. A new year. A reset. A new leaf to turn over, to try and smooth over what had once happened, to try and heal the scars the war had scratched over everyone, even those who were on the wrong side. Speaking of people who were on the wrong side, Hermione lifted her eyes to see Draco Malfoy walk across their carriage. His eyes flickered towards hers, and they held each other's gazes, unsure if they should insult each other or ignore each other. Before Hermione could do either, his head swished away, and he continued to walk down to wherever his designated carriage was. Hermione let herself exhale, and noticed she felt oddly at unease. She tried to shrug out of it, but there was such a high level of hidden emotions in Draco's eyes, it made Hermione wonder what exactly he was hiding. She pursed her lips and felt irritated. Stupid ferret, and his annoying way of doing things.

"Hey," Ron said, breaking the silence. "Did you hear the rumour that's going around?" Harry and Hermione leant forward, and shook their heads. Ron continued. "Well, apparently Dumbledore **(yes, I've decided he's still in the story.)** has this new program going on that makes a pure-blood stay at a muggle-born's, and vice versa." Harry snorted.

"What kind of rumour is that?" He scoffed. "I mean, it's plausible, but it's totally random. Why now of all times?" He finished. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other.

"Well, the war's over now. He might, if the rumour's even true, be trying to make a new start." Hermione put forward. Both boys shrugged.

"And anyway, what happens to the half-bloods, like me?" Harry interjected. Ron shrugged.

"Like I said, it's just a rumour going around." Ron said. Hermione nodded.

"They're called rumours for a reason. Rumours are usually never true." Hermione said firmly. She had a feeling she was trying to convince herself more than the two teenagers in front of her.

~.~.~.~.~.~

As usual, the students of the last year made their way for an assembly before they had dinner, and then bed. Hermione checked behind her for Harry, Ron and Ginny and then sat down. She felt the wooden bench underneath a fingertip and felt relief course through her. She was back where she belonged. Her home, Hogwarts. They all heard a cough, and turned to see Dumbledore behind his stand. The audience turned their attention to him.

"Welcome back, students." He said warmly, regarding all of them with a twinkling eye. "I hope you're all well rested from recent events, but I also have some exciting news!" He paused, and Hermione quickly glanced at Ron, as both of them thought of the same thing. "I, along with other professors, are introducing a program, called 'Living Each Others Lives'. This requires a 'pure-blooded' wizard to stay in the hospitality of a muggle-born, and vice-versa." A buzz of murmuring swept like a tidal wave over all the students. Why on Earth weren't they told this? Dumbledore cleared his throat, and the murmuring died down. "Of course, we have been planning this for quite a while, so we have already got your parents or carers consent. If you aren't allowed to go, you will be paired with a half-blood, or stay at school and learn from a half-blood what the muggle world is like." He said slowly, obviously hoping the students weren't too shocked. "Well, I hope this news is more exciting than shocking. Please let yourself absorb it. Oh, you will also meet your partner and have at least a week and a few days planning your three week stay (this elicited a few more gasps and murmurs), and to also get to know each other." It almost felt as if Dumbledore had glanced at Hermione when he'd said that. The feast before bed was halting, and full of questions. Hermione left with Ginny, both of them discussing the upcoming trip.

"Who do you think you'll be paired with?" Hermione asked, as Ginny was pure-blooded. Ginny shrugged.

"I'm really not sure, but I hope it's a girl." Ginny replied, and then grinned. "Hey, what if I got you?" Hermione shook her head and chuckled.

"That'd be too easy." Hermione smiled. On their way to the staircase, both of them crossed paths with Draco Malfoy. Draco lifted his head and for just a few seconds while they walked towards each other, both of their eyes clicked together, and they regarded each other almost carefully, before Hermione sent him a look, her eyes narrowed. She almost wanted to take it back, but opposed to what she thought would happen, it almost looked like Draco smirked at her, almost like he was trying not to laugh as if he was seeing a child throw a tantrum, before his eyes turned away, the light catching his grey eyes. All of it was over in a matter of seconds, and they carried on walking. _Draco, pureblood. Me, muggle-born._ Hermione's brain connected slowly, and a new-found fear crawled and lodged itself into her brain. What if she got paired with Draco Malfoy of all people?

**A/N: Did you like the little teaser? I'm going to try and slow down the progression between the two of them, because in the last story I made, it feels like I made Draco nice and sugary-sweet much too fast. Oh, and I won't paint Hermione as the idiot in this story, haha. Review with feedback if you have the time! :D**


	2. I'm with WHO?

**Even though it says in the summary, be warned, this story **_**will**_** have swearing. I'm trying to make this more of a mature story, but even so, you've been warned. Happy reading!**

Today, the whole of the year would be told who their pair was, and shortly after that, they'd have a week and a few days to plan what their three weeks would be like. However, Ginny and Hermione agreed that most pairs would just use the time to relax. This was certainly very exciting, and hopefully everyone was going to get paired with who they wanted to. Hermione was hurrying to break, along with the huge crowd who was craving fresh air just as much as her. She tried to look behind her as the crowd thinned, looking for a red flash of Ginny's hair, but she could catch nothing. The crowd dispersed, and Hermione turned her body back, and bumped head first into someone's chest.

"Oof! Sor-!" Hermione eyes narrowed as she looked up to see the person who owned that chest. _Malfoy._ He was looking down at her with an equally distasted expression.

"God, look where you're going." He said, looking at her frowning. Hermione spluttered.

"What, you're not even going to say sorry? Tch, you don't have _any_ manners, do you?" Hermione retorted. Even though they were both at fault, it was out of habit that she was picking an argument with Malfoy. Draco's eyebrow quirked.

"Excuse me? Why would I need to use manners on _you_ of all people?" Draco sneered, yet Hermione was surprised he didn't say 'Mudblood', which would be the norm to say at least twice in one of their arguments. Hermione smirked.

"Of course, what did I expect? You're a Malfoy after all." She bit out. Draco looked like he was about to laugh, and Hermione was getting seriously pissed off by now.

"What did _I_ expect? You're a Granger, after all." He said lazily, and started to walk away.

"Is that all you can say? You're truly the King of Comebacks." She called out sarcastically, and she too walked away. She was a few steps in, before he called out to her.

"Hey, Granger."

"_What?_ Just leave me alone!" Hermione yelled. Sometimes he just irked her.

"You could have been the bigger person and said sorry first, you know." He replied, his voice echoing softly in the deserted hallway. Hermione spun back, but he wasn't facing her like she thought, he was walking away.

"Really? You could have done just the same." She called out after him. He stopped, and replied without turning around.

"Maybe I could have." He said. The tone was almost as if he was teasing her. Hermione bit her lip and fought the urge to run up and punch him. He paused, and then carried on walking.

_He's not worth it, Hermione. Let it go._ Hermione counted to ten, turned around, and walked away.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Hermione, what happened? You look really... angry." Harry commented, as she sat down on one of the benches in the courtyard.

"Malfoy." Was all she said, and the others nodded in immediate understanding.

"The bastard." Ron said lightly. "But you know, he's improved. Sort of." Everyone threw a look at him, and Hermione threw him daggers.

"_Not_ exactly the right time, Ronald." Hermione remarked coldly. Ron shrugged.

"Anyone else notice how he's stopped saying Mudblood and throwing insults around?" Ron said, looking around. It took a while for everyone to actually contemplate this, and they all 'hmmm'ed.

"Wow, Ron." Ginny said, smirking. "I never knew you were that observant. I'm surprised." Everyone laughed, while Ron flushed.

"Shut up." He said darkly to Ginny, which just set everyone laughing again. The laughing died down, and everyone started to take Ron seriously.

"I guess," Harry pondered. "I mean... He only insults someone if they directly call him out." He looked directly at Hermione.

"Hey, I..." Hermione objected, and then looked sheepish. Harry laughed.

"I guess it's a tradition to argue with Malfoy right?" Ginny asked, smiling. Hermione grinned.

"Of course." She replied, chuckling. Who knew they would have a conversation including Draco Malfoy, and actually laughing about it? The next lessons flew by, and at lunch stopped by her dormitory and sat onto her bed, still thinking of everyone's changed perspective of Draco Malfoy. Maybe Draco had changed. Maybe he hadn't. Either way, it was still his family's fault that her arm bore the remains of the wound Bellatrix Lestrange had carved into her arm. The scar that said 'Mudblood'. Hermione ran her fingers over the bumps of the fading words, and she had a flashback of the excruciating pain that she had been forced to go through. She couldn't help it. Her hands started to flutter and her eyes moistened. A montage of images filled up her head, until a trickle ran down her cheek. She leant back on her hands, shaky gasps escaping her, and she tried to stop the flow of tears that were suddenly cascading down.

"It's over. It's all over now." She managed to mutter without sobbing. She repeated the mantra over and over, until the tears slowed to a stop. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, and she clasped her hands tightly down in front of her. She gently set her head down between her knees, and slowed her breathing down to a regular rhythm, before she wiped her cheeks dry, blew her nose, quickly checked for redness in her eyes and walked out of the door. These kinds of flashbacks always came suddenly, ambushing her with only a few minutes alert. Sometimes they'd be so bad that Hermione would have to bite her pillow to stay quiet. This was the price of conquering the war. Flashbacks and nightmares that left you scared stiff for hours at night, which made you bite your lip so hard in the effort of keeping quiet, that they would bleed.

There was only one more period of lessons left, before each individual house would gather into the Common Room and be told their pair for the upcoming trip. Nearly everyone was pretty nervous in finding out who they were getting, and Hermione had an odd ominous feeling inside her, as she filed out with Ginny after class, and they made their way to the Common Room.

"Who do you hope you'll get?" Hermione asked. Ginny shrugged.

"I don't mind if they're half blood, or muggle born, to be honest. I have a feeling that Mum chose for us (Ron) to have half-bloods, since she knows the majority of my friends are of that blood." She glanced at Hermione, who threw her a look. "Oh! No offense to you, of course!" Hermione just shrugged. They stepped inside the Common Room, and joined the group in front of Professor McGonagall. She cleared her throat.

"As you know, you will all be going onto a trip in a short period of time." She swept a beady eye along everyone, and turned brisk. "So, with no beating about the bush, I'll say your pairs." She glanced down at her paper, and looked at her students. "However, I would like to make clear that some of you _will_ get paired with students in other houses. Ahem, without further ado: Neville Longbottom and Justin Finch-Fletchley, Harry Potter and Dennis Creevey, Ron Weasley and Lee Jordan, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood..."

Hermione was looking around, desperate to hear who she was going with, and her heartbeat was getting more and more erratic. She glanced at Ginny, who looked ecstatic at the prospect of a _girl_ staying at her house for once. Hermione turned back to her Head of Year.

"Hermione Granger," The professor paused. "And Draco Malfoy."

_Oh. My. God._

**A/N: Yay, second chapter up! Any thoughts?**


	3. Meeting the other

There was pin drop silence, and everybody turned to look at Hermione. Ginny, Harry, Ron and several other Gryffindors came up to Hermione and patted her back, while she was still blanched in shock. A few moments later, she finally closed her mouth and muttered a few words.

"Of all... Bloody people..." She regained herself. "_I get Draco Sodding Malfoy?_" She half-screamed.

"There there, Hermione." Ron soothed, but there were really no words of encouragement to feed to Hermione. She glared darkly at the floor. Ginny was shaking her head pitifully, hugging her knees to her chest while sitting on the plush sofa. Hermione suddenly shrugged everyone off.

"I'm going to bed." She muttered, and everyone looked at each other.

"Hermione..?" Harry trailed off, seeing Hermione, eerily calm, float up the stairs to the Girls Dormitory. He shook his head.

"I think that really cracked her." Neville said thoughtfully. "I mean, Malfoy of all people?" He shook his head. "The teachers must be having a laugh." Ginny nodded.

"The two of them alone for three weeks at one house, and another three weeks at another is a bloody disaster waiting to happen." She mused. Ron suddenly chuckled, and everyone looked at him.

"Sorry, I was just wondering how Malfoy's reacting right now." He said, and then laughed. Everyone grinned. He must have hexed the whole Common Room by now.

~.~.~

"Granger?" Draco said in disbelief as soon as Professor Snape had left the room. "_Hermione. Fucking. Granger?"_

"Language, Draco." Blaise chided, chuckling. Draco spun around to face him.

"Oh, shut up Blaise!" He snapped. "I can't make civil conversation with that girl, let alone stay at her bloody house!"

"Well, the trip might just be yours _and_ her chance to try and make peace." Theodore interjected. Draco spun around to retort, but he paused.

"You think that's why the teachers put as together? As a sort of house unity thing?" Draco asked, and collapsed onto the sofa. Theodore shrugged.

"Well, who knows?" Blaise replied, and then chuckled. "You and Granger are literally the only people from opposite houses that are still at each other's throats."

"What're the bloody teachers thinking..?" Draco mused, ignoring Blaise, and then laughed bitterly. He was actually going to have to meet Hermione tomorrow, and plan their six, long, hard weeks together.

~.~.~

The next day, after break, Hermione would have to meet her pair, Draco Malfoy. She'd had another ambush of her memories in the night, and now her eyes looked dull and red-rimmed, no matter how much cold water she held up against it. Thank God that they were only pink by now, however she still prayed that Draco wouldn't make some snide comment on her weaknesses. She made her way down to the Main Hall which would be the meeting place for everyone. She walked in by herself, opening the giant oak doors and joined the crowd of people. The teachers shushed them.

"In order to create the least fuss possible," Professor Snape drawled, "we would like you to find your own pairs within the next two minutes." A lot of kerfuffle ensued, and Hermione was getting jostled about everywhere. She looked around to see most pairs together. Hermione sighed, running a hand through her hair, and looked behind her for any sign of the Dreaded Draco Malfoy, when suddenly a pair of grey eyes connected with hers. She looked at him for a moment, and then walked over to him.

"Malfoy." She muttered, averting her eyes.

"Granger." He greeted, equally low. They stood side by side to find themselves in front of desks, along with the other pairs. Seeing the confused faces, Dumbledore chuckled.

"Don't worry, these are only temporary. We'll transform them back into benches after this meeting is over." Dumbledore said warmly. "In the meantime, please, both pairs take a desk with two chairs opposite each other." He paused. "In the next week, you will be planning a rough outline of your trip. This, of course means that lessons will be postponed." Hermione heard someone mutter _'Yes!'_, and rolled her eyes, knowing it was Ron. Dumbledore spoke again. "So, chop chop! Get some work done in the hour you have!" Hermione and Draco paused, and then slid into the seats of the desk nearest to them. They stayed silent, and then glanced at each other. For some reason, Draco's eyes lingered longer on her than usual.

"What happened?" Draco asked, looking at her. Hermione frowned.

"What?" Hermione replied, curious and instantly defensive.

"Your eyes." was all he said. Hermione instantly lowered her them.

"Nothing." She muttered. Draco paused.

"Am I really that bad?" He asked, an eyebrow quirked. Was he making a joke? Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"I hope not." She replied. They both stalled, and then Hermione pulled out a piece of parchment. Draco frowned at her. She shook her head at him. "Didn't you hear Dumbledore? We have to plan, and we only have a week." Draco snorted. She glared at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"Are you serious?" He said, and then gestured to the rest of the room. "Do you really think all the students here are going to _plan_ the 'trip' in what they think as free time?" It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes.

"Well, doesn't that just mean we'll be ahead of them?" She said, raising an eyebrow. Draco sighed.

"Look, neither of us are happy with who we've been paired with." Draco paused, and Hermione nodded reluctantly. "If we plan, I'm betting we'll both get frustrated. We'll argue, and then nothing will get done anyway." Draco said. Hermione was taken aback by the actual logic behind his words. She was still uncomfortable, though.

"I suggest a compromise." She replied, and Draco indicated for her to go on. "You'll at least listen to my suggestions to what we should do, okay?" She finished. Draco pondered it, and then nodded slowly.

"But not too many at once, okay?" Draco said airily. Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded.

"So where do you want to meet tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm. Under the tree near the Owlery?" Draco replied. Hermione shot him a look.

"Why there of all places?" She asked, looking at him. Draco shrugged.

"It's relaxing." He drawled. Hermione sighed. He was lazier than she had imagined. Then she frowned.

"Wait..." She said slowly, and Draco looked at her. "So in this whole week, what're we actually going to _do_, if we're not going to be planning?" Hermione asked, and glanced at Draco. His gaze caught onto hers, his dark grey eyes glinting.

"Well," he replied, his voice low and smooth. Hermione looked back at him uneasily. "I guess we're just going to have to get along to the pass the time, aren't we?"

**A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter! I hope you're happy that there's going to be a lot of interaction between the two of them in the week they have to 'plan'. I'm trying very hard to update faster, haha. Anyway, are you guys enjoying the story so far?**


	4. Under the tree

As there was no set time for having to plan, Hermione assumed that she was supposed to meet Draco under the tree after break. When the time came, she chided herself for agreeing to go to such a stupid location. People could misinterpret what they were doing under that tree, as it was quite a romantic spot. Hermione shook her head in disgust. As she was walking down, she saw various pairs laughing and chatting, and doing anything other than actually planning. _So, Malfoy was right after all_, Hermione thought. She walked back out into the fresh air, and smiled at the scenery of the Owlery, only her feelings were clouded over when she realised she'd have to spend this brilliant weather outside with Draco. She sighed, and then walked into the tree's clearing, to already see Draco lying under the tree. She rolled her eyes and stomped over.

"Hey!" Draco said indignantly. "Why are you making such a racket for?"

"What, no hello? And I don't know what you're talking about." She said in a clipped tone, and went to sit opposite Draco, against the tree trunk. Draco propped himself up on his elbows and cocked his head at Hermione.

"You hate me a lot, don't you?" Draco said to her, chuckling. Hermione looked at him.

"Well, hate's a strong word, don't you think?" She replied breezily. Draco looked the tiniest bit taken aback.

"So you don't hate me?" He asked curiously. Hermione sighed.

"Why is it important?" She replied warily. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Well I don't know if you remember, but we're going to have to spend six bloody weeks together!" He said sarcastically. Hermione wanted to smack him one.

"Hah, like I'd forget that. It's going to be absolute hell." She retorted. Draco looked like he would carry on, but he just lay back down.

"Whatever." He said quietly. Hermione leant back against the tree and took a moment to calm down. Then she looked at Draco. Why did _he_, of all people annoy her so much? What exactly did he do? Hermione smiled. Well, that wasn't a hard question, of course. There were many traits that he had _had_, but now had lost. So what exactly irked her to the point where they'd argue needlessly? Hermione was bewildered, and continued to look at Draco's still form. Why were they the _only_ people that couldn't get along..? In the midst of this, Draco cracked open an eye and grinned.

"Look Granger," Draco started, causing Hermione to snap out of her thoughts and jump. He grinned again. "I know I'm seriously sexy and all, but it doesn't mean you have to fantasise about me when I'm lying right in front of you." Hermione shot him a look.

"Actually," she replied irritably. "I was wondering why I get so pissed off with you." Draco looked at her, bemused.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" He said, tilting his head. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"What is?" She asked, an eyebrow raised. Draco sat up properly and shuffled a bit closer to her. Hermione looked at him suspiciously and backed further into the tree. He chuckled.

"Exactly." He murmured, looking at Hermione. " We're complete opposites, you see? I'm a total playboy, you'd be happy staying with one guy forever." He looked at Hermione, whose eyes were narrowed. He smiled. "No offense, of course."

"Of course." Hermione muttered. Draco spoke up again.

"I'm 'pure-blooded' and you're muggle born. You've come from a good family, I haven't." He continued, ticking the list off his fingers. "You're friendly, I'm not. You'd rather stay inside all day and read; I'd rather go out and ride my broom." He looked at Hermione as he finished.

"Hang on." She said, holding a hand up. "You say you're not friendly. So how do you explain your behaviour now?" Draco paused.

"Didn't I say I was a playboy?" He said smoothly. Hermione looked at him, and then shot him a 'really?' look, and pushed his shoulder.

"And this is exactly what bloody pisses me off." Hermione said. "Your arrogance. Your ego."

"Hah." Draco said, and then looked at Hermione and leaned in. Hermione's back pressed into the tree with the effort of keeping away from him. "We're complete opposites. That's what makes us argue."

"That's just great." Hermione bit out sarcastically. She looked at Draco who was still just as close.

"Well, I suppose you'll have to deal with me for six weeks, and then you're free." He said, and leaned back. Hermione breathed in the fresh air.

"It's going to be a bloody long six weeks." She said, brushing hair out of her eyes. Draco nodded. "So, anyway. I'm going to suggest some ideas." Draco lay back down on propped elbows; his sleeves rolled up, and he waved at her to go on.

"So before we do anything or go out, I'm going to have to introduce you to what a Muggle home is like, and all the things we use instead of magic." Hermione said, and Draco rolled over to his side to listen to Hermione properly. "And then there's the different food, and drinks and such." She sighed. It was amazing how much wizards didn't know about muggles. "And then there's landmarks, and everything." She waved her hand around, dismissing it. "We can visit those nearer to the end though, since you have to get to grips with everything else." She looked back at Draco.

"So what're you going to do at my house?" He asked. She shrugged uncomfortably. She'd have to spend three weeks in that bloody playboy's house.

"Whatever, I guess." She replied. He looked back at her.

"Wow." He said, and she looked at him curiously. He went on, "I just realised that we've managed to fill all of this time with civil conversation!" Hermione too acknowledged this. "Amazing isn't it?" She nodded.

"Amazing." She agreed reluctantly.

So maybe Draco Malfoy had changed a bit.

**A/N: I'm really sorry about the short chapter! Hopefully you're happy with the fast update, though? And hmm, it seems that they're getting along quite well. But what happens when they're stuck together for six weeks? OH, I'd also like to point out that when Draco's leaning in to Hermione, that he doesn't mean anything by it. It's simply a habit of his playboy ways. (;**


	5. Hogwarts Express

The week in which they'd have to 'plan' what they would do in their trip was flashing by, and before everyone knew it, they only had a day to prepare for the transport to get to the muggle-born's house. Obviously all of them would take the Hogwarts Express to get to Kings Cross, but once they got there, they were on their own.

"So, the day after tomorrow, we're leaving to go to my house." Hermione said, setting her bag down to where they'd both come to make their meeting spot, the tree on the grass near the Owlery. Draco looked up at her from where he was lying on the grass.

"What of it?" He said in a bored tone. Hermione closed her eyes irritably.

"First there's how we're going to get there. We're getting the *tube."

"Tube?" Draco said incredulously, and then snorted. "What in _hell_ is that?" Hermione sighed, and looked down at Draco.

"It's like a train, but it goes underground. Hence the name 'Tube'," Hermione replied, and sat, and looked Draco up and down. He threw a look at her. She glared. "And then there are your clothes."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Draco retorted, looking down at himself.

"They don't look like muggle clothes! So as soon as we put our bags down at home, we're buying you some clothes to blend in." Hermione snapped. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"And where do you suppose you'll get all this money from?" Draco asked coolly.

"My parents have good jobs, you know." Hermione shrugged. "My mum's put aside some money for me in the bank. I'm on a budget though." Draco nodded reluctantly. Hermione looked at him. "You do realise you're going to have to help me with keeping the house tidy and such? As in chores." She smiled at the last sentence. Draco scrambled back from her on his backside, holding up his hands.

"Oh no," he protested, "I am _not_ besmirching these perfect hands with muggle housework." Hermione glared at him, reached over and slapped one of his hands. The mark smarted, and Hermione smirked.

"Not so perfect now, are they?" Hermione drawled, cocking her head. Draco glared at her, reached over and pushed her shoulder hard, so that she nearly toppled over. She sat up, rubbed her shoulder and leaned forward to punch him hard enough to leave a black eye. He easily caught her hand, and smirked while he pushed it away, while Hermione was still trying to push it forward. She threw a dark look at his smirking face and threw forward another fist to punch. Yet again he caught it, and the 'fight' quickly turned into wrestling. For Draco it was just play, but Hermione wanted to claw Draco's eyes out. Hermione interlinked her fingers with Draco's for more grip and attempted to push herself forward. Draco stayed exactly where he was and smiled demurely at Hermione, keeping her at arm's length with ease. He looked at her growling face and decided to give her more slack as a reward for her effort. He relaxed his arms so that Hermione came to the point where her fists were nearly touching his chest, although she knew she wasn't getting any stronger, it just made her more angry that he pitied her enough to let her forward. Draco leaned forward to Hermione's ear.

"We're serious opposites, aren't we?" He said, his voice vibrating into her ear. She nearly stopped out of discomfort. "I'm strong, and you're weak." He finished, smirking. Well, that did it. He pulled back when he felt a tightening on his hands, to see Hermione eyes flashing brightly. He looked at her with wide eyes, before Hermione's anger was finally added to her strength, and she surged forward, pushing Draco backwards onto the grass. What she didn't expect was for her to go toppling over him too.

"_Hah!_ Whose stronger n..." Hermione said triumphantly, and then trailed off to see Draco beneath her. She looked down to see his him. His face wasn't smirking, or holding any sort of snide expression, but his eyes were holding hers in a calculating stare. After a few moments, she untangled her hands from his and slid off of him before throwing him a look.

"You bloody pervert! What was that for?" She said dramatically, throwing her hands up.

"_Excuse me?_" Draco said disbelievingly. "_You_ were the one who fell onto me!" Hermione looked at him with disgust.

"Well _you_ were the one who pushed my shoulder!" Hermione retorted.

"You smacked my hand though!" Draco yelled back. Hermione opened her mouth, and then closed it, glaring at Draco. He crossed his arms smugly, his eyes glinting at Hermione.

"Whatever!" She said, and then stood up, brushing herself off. "I'm going. Bye." She walked away, before Draco called back to her.

"Don't trip and fall onto anyone else, okay?" He yelled.

"Shut up!" Hermione's voice called back. He watched her go with a smirk.

On the way back to her dormitory, Hermione saw Ginny and waved to her grinning.

"Hey! Back from meeting Draco I suppose?" Ginny asked, walking over. Hermione looked at her with her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah... And since when did you call Malfoy 'Draco'?" Hermione asked suspiciously. Ginny looked at her shaking her head.

"Everyone does. You do realise only you, Harry and Ron are the only ones who still hold a grudge against him?" She replied. Hermione shrugged, and nearly snickered when she remembered the smarting mark on his hand from where she slapped it.

"I think Harry and Ron do it more out of habit now." She said, and they walked into the castle. Hermione noticed Ginny didn't broach the subject any further.

~.~.~.~.~.~

"Ugh! Why do I have to sit here and be stuck with _you_ all journey!" Draco said miserably, kicking the seat in front of him. Hermione glared at him from the opposite seat. The teachers had already suspected that none of the pairs had actually done any planning, and thought it was better than nothing to do a bit of cramming in the little time they had left of their preparation.

"You think _I_ like this any more than you do?" Hermione snapped. Draco's eyes moved to hers and he grinned.

"You know, there _is_ another way to kill time..." He trailed off suggestively. He laughed at Hermione's screwed up face.

"You are absolutely disgusting." She muttered, and swung a foot up to kick his leg.

"Hey!" Draco retorted. "I don't want another bloody wrestle you know." Hermione rolled her eyes, and he looked at her with another unreadable stare. "Can we at least try and make civil conversation?" Hermione looked up.

"Why now? And why are you of all people saying that anyway?" She said, with an eyebrow raised. She crossed her arms, and Draco shrugged.

"Well, this is the whole idea behind the teachers pairing us together, right? You and I are the only people that still hate each other." He said to her. Hermione looked down.

"I guess." She replied quietly. Draco looked at her dipped head from his opposite seat and tilted his head. They both sat in silence for nearly five minutes before Draco piped up.

"Hey Granger." He said, and received no reply. "_Granger._ Hey, don't ignore me!" He looked back at her irritably. "I'm boooored. Granger, Granger, Granger." He made fists with his hands. "_Granger_!" He said loudly, and looked over to her to see her chest rising and falling steadily, her eyes closed. "You're asleep..?" He waited for her to jump up and try to scare him, but nothing came. He poked her leg with his foot, and still no loud, angry retort came. At last, he went over to her and checked she wasn't fake-sleeping. Nope, nothing. He leaned in to check her face. _She looks a lot more peaceful asleep._ There was no annoyed or irritated expression on her face, and Draco decided that she looked a lot better when she was sleeping. Her lips parted slightly as she exhaled. Stray strands of her hair fell onto her nose, and she wrinkled it subconsciously. Draco unthinkingly smoothed the hair away with his hand, tucking it behind her ear. He quickly took his hand away when he realised what he was doing and looked back at Hermione. Draco slumped back into his seat, running a hand through his hair. In just a few hours, he'd be in the Muggle world, staying at Hermione Granger's house. He'd be stuck there for three whole weeks, with Hermione as his only... Draco's brow furrowed.

_As my only... Friend?_

**A/N: Hello! Are you enjoying this? I'm really trying my hardest to slow down the progression and put it more into Hermione's house, but I can't resist doing these little moments. Albeit one-sided, haha. Sorry for the short chapters!**

***Tube = If there are any U.S readers here (I'm not sure?) the Tube is the same as... I think it's either the Subway or the Metro. I'm not really sure, haha.**


	6. Home

"Granger..." Draco said softly, shaking Hermione. He raised his voice. "Hey, we're here."

"Hm?" Hermione mewed, and then cracked open a bleary eye to see Draco Malfoy right in front of her face. She jumped straight up, shock waking her up. "Jeez, don't scare me like that!" Draco rolled his eyes. Hermione rubbed her eyes. "Well, we should go then, shouldn't we?" Hermione stood up, and they both filed into the corridor and stepped off the train. Draco followed behind. Hermione grinned widely when she saw her three friends.

"Hey!" She greeted. Opposed to what she thought, Draco didn't hang back, but went to stand next to her. All of their eyes swept over him, and then went back to Hermione. She paused. "I guess this is a goodbye, then?" Hermione said awkwardly. Ginny laughed.

"I guess." She said, smiling. Harry looked Draco.

"Don't give her too much grief, yeah?" Harry said, cracking an easy smile. Surprisingly, Draco gave a reluctant smile back.

"I'll try my hardest." He replied back.

"I hope you two don't try to kill each other or anything in these six weeks." Ron interjected. Hermione laughed.

"It's funny; it feels like we're test subjects for the teachers or something." Hermione said. Everyone laughed. Draco looked down at her.

"Let's just hope it ends well." Ginny replied, grinning. Everyone fell into an awkward pause.

"Well. I'll see you all at school, right?" Hermione said refreshingly, and then stepped forward gathering the three of her friends into a quick, tight hug before releasing her and looking back at Draco, who was looking at the three of her friends. "We should go now." Hermione said to him.

"Yeah." He replied. All of them shouted goodbyes as soon as Hermione fell in step with Draco.

"I'll miss you guys!" Hermione called back, and turned her head back forward with a small smile. Draco looked at her, and she turned her head to meet his eyes. "What?"

"Is that what it's like all the time with your friends?" He asked quietly.

"Pretty much." She said, nodding. Draco nodded awkwardly and they were soon greeted with the fresh air of outside.

"So where to now?" He asked. Hermione smiled.

"To the nearest tube station." She replied. **(A/N: Haha, I have no idea if there **_**are**_** any tube stations near Kings Cross, but what the hell.)**

~.~.~

"Okay, what the _hell_ is this place?" Draco asked loudly with wide eyes. He looked around uncomfortably.

"Shush!" Hermione scolded. "You're in the Muggle world now, so just act normally. I'm going to get a ticket for you, just _wait here._" Hermione said lowly, and then walked off to wherever the hell the tickets were sold. Draco snorted. _Act normal? How the hell am I supposed to act normal if I don't know what normal is in this world?_ He leant back against a wall and saw a group of girls look at him and giggle, walking off. Well, at least the girls reacted to him normally. After watching crowd after crowd walk by, he saw Hermione appear. Draco stepped off the wall and walked over to her. She handed him a small piece of paper of some sort.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Your ticket. Now come on, we have to catch the next tube." She said, and they both walked over to the gateway. They joined the line of people before Hermione spoke to Draco again. "Okay, what you do is simple. There'll be a small slot on the model of the gateway. Put your ticket into that and it'll pop up again in the slot just above it. Take the ticket out, _and the gate will open._ After that, all you do it walk through and wait for me. Got it?" Hermione said, looking at Draco. He nodded uneasily. Before long, he was next in line. He determinedly put the ticket into the slot and it sucked it in. He looked back at Hermione with panicking eyes, but she just nudged him forward again. The ticket quickly popped up again and he took it slowly, before the black glass gateway opened with a click and he walked through. He looked back at Hermione who did the exact same thing with practiced hands, and then walked through. _A real Muggle._ She looked up at him.

"Let's go. We might miss it if we don't hurry up." She said. Draco nodded, and they both walked quickly. After passing through a series of dirty underpasses filled with musicians, they finally reached the platform.

"Wow." Draco said, looking around at the adverts pasted onto the wall and the rusty metal chairs attached to the wall. Hermione looked at him. "It's so... Different." Hermione nodded smiling. A loud wind rose up, signalling the tube's arrival.

"Come on." Hermione said, gesturing to the tube. They both stepped on, and it turned out that all the seats were taken. Hermione walked further into the carriage they were in and went to stand near back, Draco following her, looking around uneasily and stepping carefully. The tube doors slid close, and lurched, causing Draco to hold one of the handholds near him. Above the talking in their carriage, Hermione and Draco picked out a few that seemed to be directed at them.

"Do you see that boy? Oh my gosh, he's so fit!" **(A/N: lol. 'Fit' is British slang for 'hot' or 'good-looking'.)** A girl somewhere in the carriage whispered loudly.

"I see him!" A voice agreed. Draco's head turned to Hermione and he raised an eyebrow as if to prove that he was good looking in any world. Hermione rolled her eyes. The tube stopped at the next station... And the next, and the next. With this, more and more people filed in, filling up space. Someone jostled Draco, pushing him right up against Hermione. They both looked at each other with wide eyes for a moment, Draco's hot breath spilling onto Hermione's head. Hermione watched him, and Draco looked back at her, before he gave her a smirk and lowered his head to speak to her.

"Hey, you should be happy Granger. Not many girls have the privilege to get this close to me." He murmured, and then pulled back to see Hermione disgusted face.

"Pervert." She muttered. He grinned at her reaction, and then twisted his body so he wasn't touching Hermione as much. As they were nearing the end of their journey, Hermione turned to Draco.

"So, what do you think?" She asked, gesturing to all of it so far. Draco looked at her.

"It's like a seriously crap version of Kings Cross, but underground." He said bluntly. Hermione's face creased up in a grin, and it immediately reminded Draco of when she was sleeping, and when he smoothed her hair back. She looked a lot better smiling, rather than scowling.

"Well, I guess that's the Muggle world for you." She said shrugging.

"Although," He said, and Hermione looked up. "It is pretty developed, when I think about it. I mean, we just use magic for everything, but Muggles have worked their way around it." He looked down at Hermione. "It's not bad." He finished, shrugging. Hermione looked at the neon sign that stated the station they were heading for, and Hermione jumped up, causing Draco to look at her.

"The next stop's ours. Have you got your ticket? You need it to get out." Hermione stated.

"Yeah, I've got it." Draco replied, holding it up. The tube stopped at the next station, and they both pushed through people to get out. They both stepped off, and Hermione headed towards the stairs with Draco following. They appeared in a place similar to the station they had first appeared in, and they both lined up to get through the gateway. Draco smoothly put the ticket in and out, walking out, grinning proudly at Hermione once she'd stepped through. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling at the same time. They walked out of the station and into the sunny weather.

"So where are we?" Draco asked, turning to Hermione.

"South London." She replied. Draco looked around. It seemed quite quiet, the shops spread around, and the streets looked normal enough. "My house is this way. Come on."

"Okay." Draco walked with Hermione. They turned the corner and passed a shopping centre, and then turned down a series of streets and finally into a quiet street that were filled with suburban houses. It seemed like quite a change from the shop-filled streets just a block down. They walked down a few houses and stopped at one. They were here. Hermione breathed deeply and looked at the house. It wasn't much, but it was her home. The house she'd grown up in.

"So, this is it." Hermione said. A small smile graced Draco's lips. "What?" She asked.

"I was just thinking," Draco said, his head turning to meet her eyes. "How much your house suits you." Hermione raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Come on in." She said, and they both walked down the front path. Hermione suddenly stopped, and Draco looked at her. She looked up at him. "Sorry. It's just... This is so weird. I'm inviting Draco Malfoy into my house!" Draco grinned at her.

"Usually it's me inviting girls back to my house." Draco said. Hermione turned to him and pulled a face.

"Are you serious? And why the plural?" She said incredulously. Draco crossed his arms and smirked at her.

"'Cause I can." He replied, his voice deep in his throat. Hermione rolled her eyes, and whipped out keys on a key ring.

"It's going to be hard dealing with that ego for three weeks." She said, her back turned as she walked to the door and turned the keys in. When she was on the second one, she turned back to Draco who was just watching her. "Why are you just standing there? Come on!" Draco walked and stood behind her, while she fiddled with the second key. She was having trouble turning the key, and Draco rolled his eyes. He reached out his arm, putting his hand over hers. Hermione froze as the warmth of his hand enveloped hers. His fingers on the key, he turned it with ease, and took his hand away.

"Thanks." Hermione said with her back turned, her voice wavering just slightly. Draco frowned at her. A moment later, the door swung open and they both stepped in. The smell of the Granger household surrounded Hermione, and she sighed with relief. They both turned to the suitcases that were sitting in the hallway.

"They're here already?" Draco said in a surprised tone. When they were back at school, they were told to pack, but also told that the transportation of their luggage was to be taken care of by the school to minimise the amount of items that could be lost on the way to the Muggle's house. Hermione leaned on the staircase and looked at Draco.

"So, this is where you'll be staying for three weeks. Think you'll be able to bear with it?" She asked smiling.

"I'll try." Draco replied with a side smile. Hermione ran a hand on the wooden post at the end of the staircase and sighed quietly. It already felt weird to have Draco Malfoy even talk to her normally. How was she supposed to get used to him living in her house for nearly a month?

_It's going to be a long three weeks._

**A/N: They're in! I hope the slightly longer chapter made up for the slow update? (Maybe not...) Please please please review your thoughts; it'd be great to have some feedback! **


	7. Lunch

**A/N: Just before the story, I'd like to reply to a review. Unfortunately, it was written by a guest. I'm really sorry for the character loopholes in this story, and I know several students are actually in younger years, but I really wanted to pair the characters with other familiar ones, and keep it within the characters we know. I'm sorry for any inconsistencies in this story! D:  
_**

"_This_ is where you buy your clothes?" Draco asked incredulously, looking around the shop. In the shopping centre, there was a great variety of clothes shops.

"Obviously. Where do you get your clothes?" Hermione asked, and held up a fitted black t-shirt into the light.

"The tailors, usually. And I can't believe that you of all people are buying me clothes." He mumbled. Hermione sighed.

"Well, it's this, or you can just continue wearing the fancy suits you have." Hermione said, holding up a maroon coloured shirt with a sun emblem on it. "Wait a second, let me just see how this looks on you." Hermione said, holding up the shirt against him lightly.

"Is she actually _buying_ clothes for him? Possessive or _what?_" A snide girl's voice rang out from across the shop. Another girl grunted her agreement. Hermione exhaled loudly and narrowed her eyes at Draco's chest, but ignored the girl. Draco gave a small smile below him.

"I'm surprised that you didn't slap her or something and ignored her. You're learning, Granger." Draco murmured. Hermione flicked his arm and put the shirt into her cart of rapidly piling clothes.

"Why shouldn't I ignore her?" Hermione said, looking up at him.

"Well, I would think you wouldn't like the idea of looking like my girlfriend." Draco said to her. Hermione's features stilled for a moment, and then she shrugged.

"It's not like I am. I don't really care what other people think as long as I know what I actually am." Hermione said quietly. Draco looked at her with a surprised face. "Now come on, we've got to pay for this. I've nearly got you a whole wardrobe!" Hermione said. She turned away and started walking, before Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Hermione's back was still turned but she stayed stock still, while Draco leaned down to her ear.

"So you're saying you don't mind looking like my girlfriend?" He murmured, his lips just brushing her ear lobe. Hermione rolled the uneasy feeling off her and turned around to meet his eyes.

"That's my point. I might _look_ like your girlfriend, but I _know_ I'm _not._" Hermione said slowly and deliberately. Draco looked like he was going to say something, but he closed his mouth and shrugged.

"So, you've got the money, right? Let's go pay." Draco said, and they both walked to the counter. On the way, they passed the two girls that had made a comment on Hermione buying Draco's clothes. While Hermione ignored them, Draco swept a cold glance over them, yet they still seemed to swoon at him. Draco rolled his eyes.

After they'd paid, they walked out and into the shopping centre. Draco looked around at the vast space.

"So, are we going to eat somewhere?" Draco asked, and Hermione turned to him.

"Well, it's pretty expensive buying something here. I could just make something for us at home." Hermione said shrugging. She kept walking, and looked back to see Draco standing still. She groaned and walked back to him. "What is it _now_, Malfoy?" Draco blinked at her.

"You're saying you're going to cook for me?" Draco said to her in shock. Hermione looked at him.

"It's not like I'm going to cook a feast, you know." She replied, rolling her eyes. "Just some pasta or something. Merlin, stop overreacting over such a small stuff!" Draco bit his lip, and they carried on walking.

~.~.~

Hermione set the bags down in the hallway with a huff, and went into the kitchen, Draco following curiously. Opposed to what Draco was expecting, the kitchen was quite spacious. It seemed like the kitchen and dining room were mixed as one. Roughly a third of the room was taken up with the kitchen, gas stove, counters, cabinets and all. In another section, there was a small oak table fit for two. The floor was smooth wooden boards, and the walls were painted a lovely warm red and cappuccino colour to match the cabinets and cream counters.

"It's nice." Draco smiled, and Hermione showed a quick smile back before setting the bags down. He walked over to her and leaned against the clean counters. "Have you got enough food to cook with?" Hermione looked up.

"Luckily for me, cooking is one of my mother's favourite hobbies." She said, and Draco nodded. "We've got a larder, and I'm guessing Mum stocked it full for me, knowing the trip in advance." Draco walked past her, and as Hermione said there was a wooden door. He swung it open and walked in. Shelves filled with food lined the walls, and a mini fridge obviously had lots of dairy in it, even though there was already a fridge in the kitchen. Draco walked back out again to see Hermione peeking in the cabinets to check everything was as normal, and she looked up when she heard him approaching.

"Oh, you can change out of that if you want." She said, gesturing to the suit, which was apparently the most casual thing in his wardrobe. "Lunch will be ready soon, so you can change into some new clothes. Your room is the last one on the right. If you can, can you put the clothes away? It'll save me a lot of work." Draco fixed her with another calculating stare, before he went upstairs.

The hallway upstairs was lined with pictures, and he chuckled at one that showed Hermione as a toddler, her eyes wide from the camera flash, seconds away from crying. When walking past the bedrooms, he saw one that he assumed was Hermione's. He knew she'd scream at him for invading her privacy, so he only took one step inside the room and scanned around. Her bed was messily made; the walls were a peach, her feature wall blue. A mix of moving posters and Muggle posters were spread around her walls, and there were several pictures of her, Harry and Ron around. Very patriotically, Gryffindor emblems and colours were streaked on several places in the wall. Draco tilted his head. It was a perfect balance between Muggle and Wizard. He walked out and pushed open the door that was his temporary room. He set the bags on the cream carpet, and looked around. The walls were an olive green and cream, the curtains a creamy grey with gold hems. Against the wall, there was a big single bed perfectly made with an oak bedside table, and a wardrobe, along with a full length mirror beside it. Draco was impressed at the sophistication of the room. Bending down, he carefully pulled the clothes out of one of the many bags. They were already folded, so he opened the draws and separated the clothes into four sections. The first one was underwear. He cringed, remembering that it was Hermione who had chosen them. The second section was shirts, jumpers and cardigans. The third one was trousers and jeans. The last section was pyjamas. He distributed the clothes from all the bags into the wardrobe, dusted his hands and stood up. Shockingly, this was actually the first housework (or anything of the sort) that he'd ever done in his life. And he'd done it all without help. He took off his own clothes; quickly slipping into the clothes he'd set aside, folding the suit and setting it down near the bedside table. He paused, and something delicious smelling was wafting towards him from downstairs. Was that Hermione's cooking..? He walked quickly downstairs and into the kitchen to see Hermione's face set in concentration, pasta cooking and sauce bubbling. He walked over to her, impressed.

"I didn't know you could cook. It smells good." He said, watching Hermione stir the pasta.

"You learn something new every day, don't you?" She said, without looking up. He leaned over to see what she was doing.

"Can I help? I've done everything." He said.

"Uhm.." Hermione said distractedly, concentrating on the food she was making, ignoring the surprising fact that Draco Malfoy actually wanted to help her with something. "You can... Set the table maybe?" She checked the sauce and spoke up again. "The plates are in the big drawer behind me, and the cutlery in the one just above it. The glasses are in the counter above the sink."

Draco first took two plates and two pairs of cutlery to the table, setting both of them. He suddenly leaned against the table. He was going to eat lunch with Hermione. Inside her house. And she's _cooked._ Was this actually real life? He shook his head, walking over to retrieve the glasses, and once he'd put them down he leaned against the opposite counter and watched Hermione cook.

"Malfoy, are you watching me, or is it just me?" She said with her back turned, as she turned to drain the pasta. He smiled.

"It's interesting watching you cook. It's like nothing I've seen before. Weird." He replied. He could almost sense her rolling her eyes.

"Well, you're nice. I'm finished now, mind bringing the plates for me to set the food on?" She asked. Draco stepped off the counter, and brought her the plates. With a slotted spoon, she dropped a good sized portion on each plate, but leaving enough for dinner so she wouldn't have to cook again. After, she ladled creamy and delicious smelling tomato sauce over each portions of pasta. Turning the overhead light off, she carried both plates back to the table to where Draco was sitting, setting both plates down, and quickly brought a carton of juice to the table before sitting down to see Draco's gaze.

"Well, eat then." She said, and brought her own fork to her mouth. She rolled the food around her taste buds. It wasn't bad. Draco looked down at his own food, and looked back up to the girl who'd finished cooking it just a few minutes ago.

"Hermione." Hermione stopped in surprise, hearing him say her first name.

"Yes?" She replied quietly, and looked up to see the gaze of Draco Malfoy. She looked back at him, slowly setting her fork down. His eyes were unusually soft.

"Thanks." He said to her, and Hermione was confused.

"For what?" She asked, thinking back.

"This." He said quietly and Hermione looked back up at him. He leaned forward on a propped up elbow.

"It's not that much," she replied, shrugging embarrassedly.

"Really?" He said. "First, that Tube thing. Then buying me clothes. Then this." He said in a breath, and then grinned at her. " And above all, dealing with my oversized ego." She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"So under all that bravado, there's actually a normal person?" She said nonchalantly. He rolled his eyes and seemed to hesitate.

"Whatever, I just wanted to thank you." He replied, and finally lifted a fork to eat. There was a long pause.

"Well, you're welcome Draco." She replied, and ate.

The rest of the meal was spent in a comfortable silence.

**If you have only read this chapter now, there's no need to read the text labelled 'The Edit'. Thank you!**** (:**

**The Edit;**** So I read this over and realised it was kinda OOC of Draco to be that sincere with thanking her, so I altered it so he seemed to pull away with 'whatever', but then Hermione seems to confirm his thanks by using his name? I'm not even sure that makes sense, but hopefully you get the jist.**

**A/N: So, first name basis starts! I really enjoyed describing the rooms, and writing about the food made me hungry, lol. :D Are you enjoying the story so far?**


	8. Crookshanks, meet Draco

**A/N: PLEASE READ ME! I have slightly altered the last chapter at the very end, since I thought Draco was just a tad OOC. You don't need to read it if you don't want to, but just letting you know (:  
_**

"You finished?" Hermione asked, and Draco nodded. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper meal with his parents. The last time he had... He didn't even want to remember now. He didn't want to sully the one good meal he'd already had. Draco watched Hermione open a contraption filled with racks.

"What's that?" Draco asked. Hermione looked up and gestured for him to come over.

"I'll show you." She replied, and Draco came over to crouch next to her. "It's called a dishwasher. Give you any clues?" Draco looked at her.

"Washes dishes?"

"Yep," she nodded, and then pointed to the very bottom. "When I close it and turn it on, it sprays high pressured water from here, and various other places." She looked over to see if Draco was following. She then closed the door and pointed at the buttons on the front. "On here, you can change the strength of the water. You can just rinse the dishes, medium wash it, or give it a full-blow clean."

"Interesting." Draco said in a monotone. Hermione rolled her eyes, and put the plates and cutlery in. As soon as she snapped the dishwasher shut, a loud meowing cracked into the quiet atmosphere. Hermione stood up with shining eyes and ran into the hallway, with Draco following wondering what the hell had made that noise.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione gushed, and her ginger cat gave a loud purr in response, his pupils dilated to the point where his squashed in face _almost_ looked cute. She instantly scooped him up, cradling him in her arms. Draco cleared his throat from behind her, and she spun around.

"I never knew you had a cat." He said, regarding Crookshanks. Crookshanks looked right back at him. Hermione shrugged, and then walked over carefully, Before taking a deep breath.

"Crookshanks, meet Draco Malfoy. Draco, meet Crookshanks." Draco nodded at the cat. Crookshanks regarded him, wrinkled his nose and gave a low meow in greeting. Hermione looked at Draco with large eyes. He looked back at her confusedly.

"What?" Draco asked.

"It's just..." She said, and then looked down at Crookshanks, who nuzzled her neck. She looked back up Draco. "Crookshanks usually doesn't like people. In the least, he scratches them as soon as they arrive through the front door."

"Maybe it's because I have a cat too?" Draco suggested, shrugging. Hermione looked at him with surprise.

"_You_ have a cat?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah... Why?" He asked back. Hermione shrugged, keeping careful not to jostle Crookshanks.

"You never seemed like a cat person to me. Shouldn't you have a... Like a snake or something? Slytherin pride and all." She finished grinning. Draco leant on the wall and crossed his arms.

"I used to, when I was young. I don't know what happened to that one." He said. Hermione shivered. "The cat wasn't me. It was more of an impulse buy from my mother. I have no idea why a cat of all things. And then she forced me to take care of it." Hermione stroked Crookshanks.

"So what's his name?" Hermione asked, looking up.

"Her." Draco corrected. Hermione blanched, and Draco looked at her. "What now?"

"Her?" She asked, "I mean, I thought you were chauvinistic and all. Why buy a female?" Draco tutted.

"Didn't I say? It was my mother who bought the cat. My father's in Azkaban, remember?" Draco finished, and Hermione looked down at Crookshanks instantly, nodding slowly. She felt a light touch on her arm, and she looked up. Draco was in front of her.

"Hey, it's fine. No need to pity me." He said quietly, yet in a light tone.

"I wasn't pitying you." Hermione replied in a small voice. Draco ran a hand through his hair, and Hermione watched some of it fall into Draco's eyes.

"Well, good. This has made me who I am today hasn't it?" Draco said, and Hermione wondered where he was going with this. He sent her long, slow smirk. "Don't you think I've turned out pretty good?" He finished, gesturing to his good looks, richness and popularity. Hermione looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You have too much ego." She stated bluntly. Draco chuckled, and she looked at him again. "You never answered my question. What's your cat's name?"

"Cassia." He replied. Hermione smiled, instantly liking the name.

"So, do you..." She said, and looked up at Draco who was holding her eyes in a stare. She cleared her throat, looking back into Draco's eyes. "Do you want to... To... hold Crookshanks?" She finished, and Draco blinked, breaking the stare. Hermione wondered why he was looking at her anyway.

"Hold him? What if he scratches my face off?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if he hasn't already, you can pretty much guarantee he likes you. Now hold your arms out." Before Draco knew it, he was holding Crookshanks. The cat stared up at him, almost searching his face, before he simply curled up and sat in the crook of Draco's arm. Draco looked down at him, and back at Hermione who was grinning.

"What're you so happy about?" He asked, carefully manoeuvring his arms into a more comfortable position. Crookshanks grunted.

"It's just..." She said, and her face was overcome with another grin. Draco was instantly reminded of how much better she looked smiling. "It's so unusual seeing you and my cat together. I mean, I would've thought he'd hate you."

"Well, that's nice of you, isn't it?" Draco said, smiling sarcastically. He looked down to the ginger cat in his arms and cautiously stroked his head, sliding his hand under the chin and tickling it.

"Wow, you even know how to stroke him properly." Hermione said in surprise. Draco looked up.

"I do have a cat, remember?" He said, but a smile took away the spite of the words. His face was overcome with a frown. "I was meaning to ask you, but where're your parents?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"They told me at the start of the year that they had some business in Australia. But I don't know what would be so important, since they're dentists." She replied.

"Dentists?" Draco asked, looking confused. Hermione sighed.

"They fix people's teeth." She replied.

"Wow, people actually have _jobs_ for that?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow. Hermione nodded.

"And they're good at it, mind you Although, I think they could've meant a vacation." She said. Crookshanks shifted to wrap his tail around himself.

"But them being away..." Draco said, referring back to their absences. "I mean, two teenagers in a house alone. Aren't they scared I might..."

"Try something?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow. "Come on Draco, they know me better than that. And plus, they trust the school." She replied, shrugging. Without warning, Crookshanks suddenly stood up in Draco's arms. He looked at Hermione in alarm, and then back to the ginger cat. Crookshanks looked at him with unreadable eyes, before his head tilted up, and he licked Draco's cheek.

"Ewww!" Draco said, but he was laughing, as he tried to handle Crookshanks in one hand, and wipe his cheek with the other. Hermione laughed with him, and then looked at the unusual pair in front of her. Seeing Crookshanks and Draco together, and getting along, was weird, but cute at the same time. _Wait, cute?_

**_  
A/N: I'm sorry for the shorter chapter! I kind of wanted to make a sole chapter of Crookshanks meeting Draco. I really enjoyed writing this, as well as the slow progression between Hermione and Draco. Originally, I've never thought of Draco as a cat person, but I really wanted to make the two of them have one unusual thing in common. I'm a total cat lover. ^-^ Are you enjoying it so far?**


	9. The Request

"I was hoping to ask you something." Draco said, looking across at Hermione from the sofa in the living room.

"Yes?" Hermione replied, looking down at Crookshanks, still in Draco's arms.

"Since there're no set rules in which house we have to stay in first..." Draco trailed off, and his gaze dropped down to Crookshanks for a second, before he looked at Hermione again. "We'd have to ask first, but I was wondering whether you wanted to stay at mine first." Hermione was quiet for a while, and Draco cleared his throat again, wanting to fill the awkward silence. "I was also wondering, although this would be asking a lot of you as well as the teachers, but I want to stay at yours for longer. Say... Five weeks?" Hermione's head snapped up to his.

"_What?_" She was speechless for a few seconds. "That only leaves a week at yours!" Draco pulled a face at her.

"I know." He replied. Hermione looked at him, thinking he was going to say more, and was confused when he wasn't.

"But... Why do you want me to stay at yours first, and for less time?" She asked, still bewildered at the request. Draco was silent for a few moments.

"Horrible things have happened inside that house." He said quietly, not looking at Hermione.

"Oh." Hermione whispered, and she tried not to think about what kind of horrible things happened to her inside that house. Then she acknowledged the fact that Draco was being unusually nice to her, and she smiled wobbily down at her lap. He had changed. Hermione looked at his bowed head looking at Crookshanks. "I never knew you were so considerate of me." Draco's head turned up, and he showed a slight smile at Hermione. She was surprised at how easily he did.

"Well, it's not just for you, but for me too. Firstly, there's absolutely nothing to do there. And the main objective of this trip is for the pure-blood to experience the muggle world, right? So it's better to stay longer than three weeks." Draco reasoned, and then looked down at Crookshanks as he sat up. Draco looked at Hermione, gathering the ginger cat in his arms. "Do you want him back?" Hermione nodded. Draco sat onto the seat next to Hermione, and his shoulder brushed against Hermione's as he transferred Crookshanks gently into Hermione's hands. Once said cat was nestled in her hands, he withdrew, his warm fingers sliding over Hermione's. It felt extremely foreign to Hermione. It was weird when Draco was being close to her when he didn't have the intention of teasing her. Once he'd finished, he suddenly looked over at Hermione. She looked back at him, swallowing, and there was a sudden tapping at the window. Hermione's eyes quickly flicked to the window, and saw an owl with a letter in its beak. She tipped Crookshanks onto the sofa, before standing up.

"A letter?" Draco asked from behind her. Hermione didn't reply, and instead opened up the window, letting the owl in, before she gently pulled the letter with a Hogwarts seal out from its beak. Hermione gestured for Draco to come over, and she undid the envelope. They both read it.

'_Dear Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy,_

_We hope you have arrived safely. Hopefully both of you will try to be civil, and get along. This letter is to check the students are well, and a chance for the students to voice any requests, or concerns they may have for the six weeks ahead. You understand you are nearly adults now, so we assume you will do things independently without having to ask things beforehand. Some of you may not have parental guidance at the present moment, but I hope you remember that we already asked parental/carer guidance beforehand, so we presume they trust you to handle things with your partner successfully. Remember, the main focus of this trip is for a 'pure-blood' wizard to experience the muggle world first hand. Treat the trip as such._

_Sincerely,  
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Head of Trip, Minerva McGonagall.'_

Hermione and Draco looked at each other. This letter was perfect timing, as they both had quite of a big request. Hermione immediately carefully ripped a page out of an A4 notepad lying on the table and started to write in her neatest handwriting.

'_Dear Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall,_

_Thank you for the letter. Me and Draco have arrived safely, and are getting on surprisingly well. We both have quite a large request to ask of you, however. Draco would prefer for me to stay in house first, as he supposes there won't be much to do, and has been considerate enough to take in account my feelings of Malfoy Manor. He also would like to stay at mine for longer: Five weeks. Of course, that only leaves a week at his, but Draco would like to use as much of the trip as possible to experience muggle life. As you have said yourself, the main objective for this trip is for the pure-blooded wizard to learn more about muggle ways. Please understand that we will of course take care of the transportation as well as luggage. I hope you understand our request and grant it._

_Sincerely,  
Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy._

Hermione straightened herself back up, and handed the letter to Draco to give a proof read. After a quick skim, he looked at her and nodded. Hermione folded the letter up, held it up to the owl which opened its beak and clipped the letter in. It looked at Hermione who smiled and stroked it, and then it was off, gliding effortlessly into the cloudy sky. Hermione looked back at Draco, and his arms were folded. Hermione sat back down onto the sofa, lifting Crookshanks up and setting him down on her lap.

"So what do we do now?" Draco asked Hermione, coming over to sit on the sofa.

"Wait." She replied.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the absolutely miniscule chapter and the giant wait. It should really be the other way round! Also, an explanation for the sudden change around. Most of the romance and drama will happen at Hermione's house, so I really want it all to happen **_**before**_** they go to Draco's. Also, I think this is an excellent window for some nice progression, with Hermione's bad memories of Malfoy Manor and all. I love you all so much for reading, it really means a lot. (:**


	10. A Night At Malfoy Manor

'_We are both pleased you have chosen to ask us for our permission first. Yes, the main focus of the trip is for the 'pure-blooded' wizard to experience muggle world. So of course, our answer is yes. Please understand we can't be responsible for any lost belongings, as you are to take care of transport. It's excellent you two are getting along, and we must admit those are of the reasons why we paired you together. We hope you enjoy the trip._

_Sincerely,  
Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall.'_

Draco and Hermione looked at each other.

"You haven't unpacked, have you?" Draco asked. He had brought his suitcase to his room, but hadn't unpacked.

"No," Hermione said shaking her head. "I was busy making lunch." Draco nodded, and walked into the hallway where Hermione's suitcase was sitting.

"Well, I'll get my suitcase then." He said, going up the stairs. As soon as Draco disappeared onto the upstairs landing, Hermione's heart thudded as she landed her head on the banister with a _thunk._ She was going to have to go to Malfoy Manor. To that horrible, cruel place. Hermione's stomach was tying itself into knots as Bellatrix's face flashed into her mind. She was back into that familiar memory, where the Cruciatus Curse was being inflicted on her. Hermione could already feel familiar burning waves of pain in her arm, but it all dispersed as she held her hands up to her face, gripping it.

"It's not nice for me, either." A voice said from the banister, popping Hermione's bubble. She looked up at Draco and didn't say a word until he had walked all the way down the stairs, lugging his suitcase behind him.

"Do you have your license to apparate?" She said in a surprisingly clear voice.

"Of course." Draco replied. His tone was scathing, but the smile he sent after took the bite out of his words. Hermione was relieved that Draco didn't make a big deal out of her fear of his house, and even empathising with her. He held out his arm, and Hermione looked at him.

"A bit slow on the uptake, aren't you? We need to apparate, Granger." He said in a bored tone. Hermione rolled her eyes, took her suitcase, took his arm and then sent him a look. He smirked. "Oh, come on, I know you've been _dying_ to touch me after that tube ride."

"And _you_ need to shut up." She retorted. Draco sniggered, before Hermione felt the familiar, odd feeling of apparating.

~.~.~

They were both now standing in the entrance hall area of the house. Hermione let go of Draco's arm and looked around. The floors were marble, the walls were a cold, clean white. In front of them was a magnificent staircase that split off into two, leading off. Draco looked at Hermone.

"I'm sure you don't need an introduction." He said grimly. Hermione just glanced at him. "Come on, I'll show you your room, and all the rooms in between." Hermione nodded, and followed him up the stairs. They both travelled up the right section of the main staircase and into the room that was joined to the left section of the staircase **(Point being that both staircases lead to the same room. It just seemed fancier to have two staircases)**. They appeared in a magnificent room, filled with plush sofas and tables.

"So what's this room called?" Hermione asked Draco. He shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. It's a sort of lounge, I suppose." He replied. Hermione nodded slowly, and they continued out of the door and into the hallway. He gestured to the room on neighbouring the right of the lounge and opened the door. Hermione gasped. There were windows covering one side of the room nearly as tall as the wall slathered in cream paint, and the ceiling was impossibly high. Several bookcases lined the room, as well as a large glass table and richly coloured sofas. They both fully walked in.

"The Great Room." Draco said. Hermione looked at the room again and then turned to him.

"It's funny; this house feels nothing like what it was when I was here when Voldemort was here." Hermione mused, more to herself to Draco. "Maybe it's just the room where Bellatrix..." She didn't finish, and Draco didn't prompt. They walked out of the room and went to the room neighbouring the Great Room. Draco opened the door. Hermione was surprised this room was more dull than the other's she'd seen already. A large oak table was the centrepiece of the room, with chairs lining it. The dining room. They didn't walk into this room. Draco pointed at the door at the far end of the room.

"That's where the kitchen is." He murmured. The room was a creamy grey with silver trimmings; the floor was a dark wood, and a few small paintings hung on the wall. That was as far as it went. Draco closed the door, and was about to open the neighbouring one when he paused.

"What?" Hermione asked. He looked at her.

"This is the room where Bellatrix.." He left the rest to Hermione. Hermione took a deep breath, pondered the possibilities, and nodded. She instantly regretted it when she caught a glimpse of the room. A glimpse was all it took for her senses to override and her stomach to drop. She turned away, her breathing shallow. It was bad enough having memories, but to see it again... She heard the click of a door, and a touch on her arm.

"I say we go to the next room." Draco muttered. He looked at Hermione who cleared her throat and nodded. Draco opened the next room, and Hermione's face brightened. She could instantly tell this was the ballroom. The main colours were white and light rosy pink. Gold, silk drapes hung from the windows. She walked into the centre of the room and marvelled, while Draco followed.

"Do you like it?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded. Before she could speak, she suddenly felt Draco pull her towards him, before she was twirled round. He stepped forward, held her waist and dipped her back. Hermione couldn't do anything but look at him with a shocked face. Still dipping her forward, he leant his face towards her. For some reason, she didn't pull back. He grinned.

"Feeling better?" He asked, looking down at her. Hermione just mutely nodded her head, before Draco gently pulled her back up and let her go. Before she knew it, she had broken into smiles. That had definitely felt weird, but the exhilarating spontaneous ring it had given her made her grin. Draco watched her and chuckled.

"Last room of the ground floor." He said, closing the door to the ballroom. He opened the door opposite (the room to the right of the lounge). This room was quite small, but richly furnished. The walls were a deep emerald green, the trimming was silver. Hermione assumed it was Slytherin themed. There was an ebony wood table with a few draped chairs around it, matching the walls.

"The parlour." Draco introduced. Hermione nodded, and they made way for stairs going up to the first floor.

"So where's your mother?" Hermione asked.

"Holiday. She's still in shock after hearing my father was in Azkaban, and going for a long holiday to take her mind off of it seems to do the trick for her." He replied, looking at Hermione.

"But she's just leaving you on your own!" Hermione said, shocked. Draco just shrugged.

"She's assuming I can take care of myself. Which I can." The last sentence had an edge to it.

"I know, I was just-"

"I know." Draco said in a light tone, glancing at her. Hermione looked down at the stairs, but felt a little better that she hadn't put Draco in a mood. They appeared in a hall, and Draco gestured to both of the nearest doors.

"Your room." He said, pointing to the first door. "My room." He said pointing to the door next to it. "Bathroom suite. The other rooms are just my parents, and then the servant quarters." He said pointing to the last door, before the hallway rounded the corner.

"Wait a second," Hermione said, holding up a finger. "How come I have to have my room right next to yours?"

"Because," Draco replied. "The rest of the guest rooms are used by the servants."

"_Elves._" Hermione corrected. Draco rolled his eyes, and then checked his watch, before his eyes widened.

"Merlin, that tour must've taken ages. It's already dinnertime." Draco said, surprised. Hermione was shocked. "Put your suitcase in your room, and then we'll get down to the dining room. I'm going down now. Do you know how to get there?" Hermione nodded. While Draco went down, she opened the door to her temporary room, and was taken aback. The walls were a lilac colour, with dark indigo trimming. The drapes that hung from the large ebony window were indigo, the hem a navy blue. All of the furniture was ebony coloured; the wardrobe, the dresser, the bedside table, the bookcase, the chair, and her bed; which had, again, an indigo duvet with silver patterns dancing up from the bottom. There was also a door connecting her room to Draco's. _Ugh._ She set her suitcase down, and it looked extraordinarily out of place in this beautiful room. With one last lingering look, she closed the door on her bedroom. Of course, curiosity got the better of her, and she just had to take a peek at Draco's room. She knew she'd be in deep if he were to come back up, so she only opened the door halfway and took a look in. Of course, the whole room was Slytherin themed. A few Quidditch posters adorned the walls, all of them moving. She leant on the door, and it felt peculiar to imagine Draco lying on the bed, or at the desk doing summer homework. Hermione closed the door with a click, and made her way downstairs.

Opening the dining room door, she saw Draco turn his head to look at her.

"Sit down," He said to her, gesturing to any of the seats. He was sitting in one of the seats in the middle of the long, rectangular table. "The _elves_ are bringing food." Hermione rolled her eyes, and then took a seat opposite Draco.

"What're we eating?" She asked, brushing herself off. Draco shrugged.

"I don't usually choose. They just bring the food." He replied. Hermione took a moment to look at him. It was actually quite extraordinary how easily she'd slipped into this friendship of some sorts. Draco looked up at her staring at him, and she looked down. The kitchen door opened, and two elves came in with steaming plates of food.

"Master Malfoy." One said, bowing at Draco before putting the food in his place. He responded with a curt nod.

"Miss Granger, welcome to the Malfoy household." The other elf said. It bowed, before putting the plate into Hermione's place.

"Thank you very much. I do hope you don't mind serving me while I'm here." She said politely. The elf looked taken aback.

"Of course! It's my pleasure, after all." The elf responded. It bowed deeply, before opening the kitchen door, and both elves vanished inside. She looked back at her food to see Draco looking at her.

"What?" She asked, before looking down at her food, which looked absolutely delicious. It was a few slices of roast beef, along with a mixed salad and dressing. To be fair, it was a lot better than Hermione's meal.

"You're really kind to the house-elves." Draco said simply. She looked up sharply.

"Well why shouldn't I?" She retorted. Draco sighed, knowing if he continued it was going to be an argument.

"Granger, it's their job." He said, looking at her. She rolled her eyes.

"And isn't it said that they respond the best with kindness and respect?" She said, raising an eyebrow. Draco shot a look at her that said 'okay-whatever-smartass'. She smiled smugly, knowing she had been right. She lifted her fork and started eating. The food was absolutely divine, before she suddenly remembered something she'd been wondering for years.

"Hey, I've been wondering if I should ask you this," Hermione said, and Draco looked up. "What was it like growing up here?" She watched Draco pause, and then put his cutlery down.

"Well." He said, before he propped up an elbow, and while leaning on it, looked at Hermione. "I don't want to sound like a pity case, but I reckon I didn't have one of the best childhoods." Hermione didn't know whether she should prompt him or not. She wasn't sure whether she was quite ready to hear this, but before she could say anything, Draco was already continuing. "My father treated me like a pet. My mother only intervened when necessary. I was like a rag doll. Scrubbed clean, put into suits, and my fate was sealed as the heir of Slytherin. I didn't even have my own room. I was actually kept in the cellar." He paused to emit a bitter chuckle. "This was my father's method. Make him scared out of his wits. Make him lose his mind, so that you're the first thing it clings onto. I wasn't aloud outside, unless I was being forced to learn how to ride my broom. I didn't have any luxuries unless I was being clothed by my mother. My father was the one who I looked up to. I wanted everything he had, I wanted to _be_ him. His status, his power. I was beat if I stepped over the line. I didn't have any freedom. Although, it seemed like I wanted it that way. I was brought up believing all the wrong things." He paused, and looked directly at Hermione. "That's what it was like growing up here." Hermione's hands were shaking, and her mind was reeling. It took a few moments before she could stammer anything out.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly, looking at Draco. She was still shocked he was able to smile, yet he did. She continued to eat, but her throat seemed to still be closed up.

"It's made me who I am." He said simply. "You shouldn't be sorry, anyway. It's my parents' fault that you went through all those years of torment." Hermione paused, and tried swallowing.

"Well, some of it maybe. Not all." She said, looking at him. He looked back confusedly. "I'm sure you wouldn't have liked me anyway, even if you'd been brought up differently."

"No," Draco replied, and Hermione looked up. "I'm definitely sure I would've. And who's saying I don't like you now?" He finished with a challenging stare. Hermione just looked down and finished her meal. It was a good time later the elves came back in to clear the plates. She'd found a new found sort of respect for Draco.

"So what now? It's only..." She paused and looked at her watch. "Seven thirty." Draco looked at her and grinned.

"Wanna see the garden?" He asked. Hermione shrugged, and nodded. He got out of his seat and gestured to her. She got out too and followed Draco back into the ballroom.

"Is the garden here?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded.

"It's at the back." He said. Sure enough, when you got the very back at the end of the room, there was a large glass door. He opened it, and Hermione's eyes widened. The garden was giant, the grass and shrubbery was green and fresh. There were flowers lined in the beds, and it made it look like a waterfall of colour.

"Wow." Hermione uttered. Draco turned to her.

"That isn't even the best part." He said, and then pulled on her arm. "Come." She followed him uncertainly, and then got why he was so excited. Out of site, there was a patio and on it was a gigantic swimming pool round the side of the garden. It was still surprisingly warm for this time of the year, and she turned to Draco.

"You have a swimming pool?!" She asked in disbelief. Without warning, Draco gathered her up in his arms and in an instant, jumped into the pool. The wave lapped over the side, and Hermione surfaced, gasping for air.

"You fucking _git!_" She yelled, punching Draco's arm. He took no notice, and instead glanced down, and whistled.

"Wow, Granger. Never knew you had it in you." He said, smirking at her. Hermione looked down at her chest. She was still in her school blouse. It wasn't white anymore, but rather transparent and sticking to her wet skin, exposing her laced black bra. She crossed her arms over herself furiously.

"You _pervert!_ How dare you!" She shouted, splashing water at Draco, while trying to hide her exposed body.

"Hey, stop!" Draco said, laughing. Hermione continued ruthlessly.

"Not until you apologize!" She yelled threateningly. Out of nowhere, Draco hands laces around her wrist, and he leaned over to her. Hermione's whole body was still, and the waves dispersed.

"Okay, Hermione." He murmured dangerously. "I apologize for seeing your _incredibly __**sexy**__ underwear._" Hermione didn't say a word, before pushing him back into the water.

"Ugh. You idiot." She said disgustedly. Draco laughed, before getting out of the pool, and offering her a hand. She slapped it away and made her own way out of the pool.

"I'll get towels. Since you're, ahem... Fully _exposed._"

"_You-_" Before Hermione could do anything, he dodged out of her way and went into the house. He reappeared a moment later, carrying thick fluffy towels. He handed one to Hermione smirking.

"I actually suggest you take your shirt off," Hermione raised an arm to punch him, but he held up his hands. "You're never going to dry off like that!" Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"If you even _try _to-"

"I swear I won't." He said, a grin breaking over his face. Hermione shot him a look, before walking a good distance away. Balancing the towel on her shoulders to cover her back, she undid the buttons to the shirt and peeled it off. She gathered the towel around herself tightly, and walked back to the deck chairs, glancing at Draco, and then at the sky.

"The sun's setting." She murmured, settling back into the chair.

"I can see you know." He replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes, and then turned to him in the deck chair.

"Why the hell did you throw me in anyway?" She asked, perplexed. He looked back at her.

"I just wanted to see your reaction." He said plainly.

"What _else_ did you think I'd do? Run into your arms?" She said rolling her eyes. Draco smirked.

"Now _that_ I would like to see." He teased. Hermione just raised an eyebrow, and turned herself back to the magnificent sky. There was now navy morphing into the sun set, and they both knew in a matter of minutes the sun would be replaced the moon.

"Should we go inside? It's getting cold." Hermione murmured, turning to Draco.

"Let's wait until the stars are up." He replied, quietly. They both silently waited. The sky slowly changed. It was almost like it was decaying, how the black sky was seeping in, and the sun was slowly settling down as if it was on its deathbed. Hermione sighed, and she saw her breath condense in the air. It was getting chillier by the minute. The stars were now starting to get dotted in the sky, and the moon was making its grand appearance. For some reason, this sunset somehow seemed significant to her, like she was just seeing the beauty of it now. The sky was pitch black, and it was completely cloudless. The stars were perfectly pinpricked into the sky, and Hermione glanced at Draco. He looked back at her.

"I think we should go now." She said, sitting up. Her hair was now half dried, and she itched to just flip the towel she was wearing and towel-dry her hair. And then she slapped her head. She could use magic! Sitting up, she took her wand and flicked her wrist, muttering an incantation. Hot air instantaneously washed over her deliciously, and she was dry. She repeated the same motion to Draco, and he nodded his head in thanks.

"It's still pretty early, but do you want to go to bed?" He asked.

"I'm actually pretty tired already, with all these surprises." She said, shooting a look at Draco. He just sniggered.

"Okay, calm down Granger. It's time for beddy-byes!" He crooned.

"Don't you beddy-bye me!" She snapped, hitting Draco's arm. They bickered all the way up to their rooms.

~.~.~

"Just knock on the door in your room if you need me." Draco said, leaning on his bedroom door.

"Like I will." Hermione sniggered. "Night then. You better not creep up on me while I'm changing, or I'll kill you." She finished threateningly. Draco leaned over her.

"Well, that's a shame. Just means you'll have to be extra careful, won't you?" He murmured, and then leaned back and snickered. "Night." They both opened their doors and disappeared inside. Hermione opened her suitcase and dragged out her nightclothes. Shedding the towel, she changed, continually glancing at the door. She only heard a few bumps, but other than that, nothing. Hermione opened her duvet and slipped into the bed. It was warm and soft, and the pillow was soft and downy like feathers. Stretching out her tired limbs, she settled her head on the pillow and slept.

"_You filthy little mudblood!" Bellatrix said, bending over her and flicking her wrist. Hermione didn't notice until the end that the scream was hers. "_Why_ won't you tell me?! You're the scum of the earth! You don't deserve to live, do you hear me!?" The pain was now white hot, and Hermione's head felt like it would burst._

"_Please..." She begged, and her throat scratched. Bellatrix's face loomed over hers._

"_What're you pleading for? Pleading won't get you anywhere." She hissed, and now Hermione was sobbing, as she curled in a fetal position. She wished the pain would have fluctuations, and that way she's recover in the gaps. But this pain was burning, and always constant. She just wanted it to end._

"_This way you'll know you're a mudblood..." Bellatrix said, and her wand flicked again._

Hermione woke up screaming, tears spurting down her cheeks. Why was it only that memory that was getting replayed?

"Hermione!" Draco shouted, and she heard the door swing open. She looked up. Draco was there. She instantly hid her face and wiped her hands across her cheeks, but Draco already knew she'd been crying. She felt ashamed that she was crying over a simple memory, while Draco had been so much more than her from the start.

"I'm sorry. It's okay, I'm fine." She muttered, turning away from him, but Draco grabbed her shoulder and turned her back round.

"I'm not blind Granger." He said, taking his hand away.

"I said I'm _fine!_ Leave me alone!" She yelled, glaring at Draco.

"Dammit Granger! Why can't just admit that the war's affected you?" He shouted. He looked at Hermione and faltered, lowering his voice. "I'm just trying to help." Hermione looked at him for a second, and then lay back onto her bed on her back, staring at the ceiling. Draco pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I'm sorry." She said. "But right now, I just need some sleep." Draco nodded.

"Go to sleep then." He said simply. Hermione turned her head to look at him.

"Go back to your room then." She retorted automatically. Draco gave her a look.

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm not going until you're asleep." He said. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Malfoy, go away. I'm serious." She replied.

"Just do it!" Draco snapped. Hermione glared, and then turned away from him. She felt weird at the feeling of Draco's eyes on her, but she tried to ignore it. A few minutes later, she was almost on the brink of falling asleep when she heard Draco get up and walk around the bed to where she was. She tried to keep her breathing as natural as possible. She had to assume he was kneeling, since she could heard him sigh, his breath fanning onto her face. A hand came up to cup her face, and it took Hermione everything to not pull away. _Why is Draco Malfoy touching my face?_ His hand slid up into her hair, circling round her ear and back to her cheek. His hand was warm and smooth, so when he took it away, Hermione instantly frowned at the absence. She heard Draco give a light chuckle, before the hand came to her face again.

"Night Hermione." He said, and once again his hand was taken away. As soon as Hermione heard the door click, her eyes snapped open.

She had trouble sleeping that night.

**A/N: That was all for you! :D And ooh, Draco's warming up, isn't he? ****DZAuthor AKA DZMom****, I took your advice and wrote a similar scene! I AM SERIOUSLY HOPING THAT WASN'T TOO OOC. Since I've been dying to write that. Also, here's the plan I used for Malfoy Manor if I confused any of you:**

** black_ink_drips/Malfoy% **

**I slightly altered the 1st floor, however. VERY ****IMPORTANT QUESTION. PLEASE READ!**** Do you want Hermione to fall for Draco first, or Draco for Hermione? This is pretty much a VERY crucial question in the plot to come. Please answer!**

**Thank you so much for reading! I love you all!**


	11. Hermione meets Cassia

Hermione woke from her restless and light sleep to find a heavy weight on top of her. She attempted to open her eyes, but she was still tired, and the light was too bright for her eyes to bear. She raked through her hazy morning mind to try and remember what actually kept her awake all night. It suddenly rammed through her mind and she groaned. She definitely knew she had no feelings for him, but the whole weirdness and spontaneous-ness of the touch was just... She grunted as she felt the weight on top of her shift again. What the hell _was_ that anyway? Her mind was sluggish, her thought process as slow as hands ticking to seconds on a clock. Hermione's hands pattered up to her torso where the weight was and stopped. The thing was soft and slightly fluffy. Pressing her fingers to it, a groggy yowl was heard. The thing shifted. _Wait a second..._ Trying to be as slow and careful as she could, Hermione sat up.

Draco's cat mewed at her, cracking one eye open.

"Hello there." Hermione murmured, stroking Cassia's head. She was really quite beautiful. Her fur was pure white, and her fur was sleek, but still visibly fluffy. Her eyes were a rare bright blue. Cassia, knowing she wasn't going to get sleep anytime soon, sat up on her back legs and looked at Hermione. By now, Hermione knew Cassia must like her; evidence being that she let her stroke her, and obviously that somewhere in the night she had curled on top of Hermione to sleep. Hermione still feeling sleepy, looked at the clock. It read five thirty in the morning. She groaned silently and knew she had to put Cassia somewhere else so she could sleep. Thinking hard, she decided Draco's room was best. Picking Cassia up, she walked up to the door joining her and Draco's room together.

"Malfoy!" She said loudly, knocking on the door. A grunt could be heard.

"Malfoy, wake up!" Hermione tried once more.

"_What?_ It's five thirty in the bloody morning!" Draco's sleepy voice replied.

"Cassia's in my room. Can I put her into yours instead?" Hermione asked.

"Five thirty in the fucking morning..." Draco murmured. Hermione rolled her eyes, and some shifts could be heard. "Sure, come in." Draco said, his voice clearer. Hermione opened the door, walked into his bedroom. Coming over to his bed, she saw him sit up and his duvets slipped down to reveal his upper body, wearing no clothes at all. For anyone else, seeing Draco Malfoy at that moment would have been a privilege. His hair was messy, eyes lidded, and his exposed body toned, his muscles taught with all the Quidditch training. However, Hermione just scowled, averted her eyes, and gently settled Cassia on Draco's floor.

"I'll be going now." She said, eyes still averted. She stood up and took a step forward before a hand was on her wrist pulling her back.

"Nuh uh." Draco said, his voice still slightly husky. Hermione turned around, glaring. Draco smirked. "Feast your eyes, Granger. This'll probably be the last time you see a body like this."

"You're full of it." Hermione said, disgusted. "Also, let go off my wrist." Draco's face grinned, his hand not letting go.

"What? It's not like you don't like me touching you. Take last night for example." He said in a low voice. Hermione wanted to strangle him, but her face flushed.

"Your hand was warm." She said, because that was the truth. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Sure." Draco replied, his tone sarcastic. He took a moment to look over Hermione and smirk. "Nice pyjamas."

Hermione looked down at herself and inwardly gasped. She had totally forgotten to put anything else on top of her nightwear, which consisted of a basic camisole with lacy straps and grey shorts. They weren't extremely revealing, but it did their job to accentuate her figure. She scowled at Draco.

"You really like doing that, don't you?" She said, suddenly not bothered to argue.

"Doing what?" He asked.

"Showing me up. Or trying to embarrass me." She replied. Draco's face changed.

"You wanna know why?" He said, and Hermione had a feeling she was walking straight into some sort of trap. She just sighed.

"Sure." She said in a bored tone. Draco's face was unreadable for a second, before he leant forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her down on top of him. Hermione instinctively yelped and tried to scramble off, but when Draco held her fast by putting his hands on her waist, she stopped. It felt as if she was prey to Draco, and at this point, she really didn't want to look at him, or his upper body. Still keeping a hand on her waist, Draco lifted his other hand and used it to turn Hermione's head round to his. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Draco, and his hand slipped down to her neck, pulling her closer. Hermione was holding her breath, and tried to move, but found she couldn't.

"It's not everyday you manage to rustle Hermione Granger's feathers, right?" Draco murmured. His hands finally slipped off of Hermione, and at last Hermione breathed out. Draco looked at her and proceeded to talk, as if the proximity between the two of them didn't bother him. It certainly bothered Hermione. "_That's_ why I do it." Hermione finally seemed to regain herself, and pushed herself off Draco, not forgetting the feel of his taut chest under her hands. She looked at him and mustered the most deadly glare she could.

"Don't even think you can do that whenever you want." She hissed. "I'm not one of those girls who hang off your arm." Draco just looked at her, and it seemed like he was trying not to laugh. Hermione's mood turned even darker. Draco regained himself.

"Sorry, sorry. It's a habit." He said, holding his hands up.

"Right. Okay." Hermione replied, irritated.

"I'm going to go to sleep now. Try not to fantasize, okay?" He said, grinning. Hermione couldn't even be bothered to retaliate. His duvet shifted, and Draco snuggled into his pillow. Hermione proceeded to walk around his room, and some posters caught his eye. It was of Draco, in his Quidditch uniform, surrounded by girls. His arms were around them. In another, he was cupping the neck of a girl while looking deep into her eyes, still in his Quidditch uniform, while another group of girls looked on enviously. Obviously, all of these girls were Slytherin. His attitude in the pictures seemed no different than his attitude to others. This was solid proof that his touch to her face last night and him pulling her down to her was nothing out of the ordinary. Hermione blew out a breath in relief. She walked around to Draco's bed and looked at him to check he was asleep. A strand of hair fell from the rest and landed on his nose. He wrinkled it subconsciously and Hermione unthinkingly reached down and swept it away. She took a moment to contemplate what she had just done, before her eyes landed on Cassia, who had watched this whole thing curiously. Hermione stroked her, before walking like she was on autopilot to the door and going back into her room.  
**_  
A/N: Oh. My. God. I am so sorry for this wait. But yay! Some progression! As you can see, Draco is not in love with Hermione, and the same with Hermione to Draco. You didn't think I'd make it all happen that fast? :'D I really liked writing this chapter. I can't resist doing these little moments. Thank you so much for reading! Also, the biggest ever shoutout to DZAuthor AKA DZMom. I owe a lot to her because she's been helping me with my Author's block and giving me lots of ideas. Thank you so much!**


	12. A Day Out?

Three days had already passed, with nothing happening in between. Hermione was sitting at the breakfast table, Draco obviously still in bed. It was an understatement to say he wasn't a morning person. Hermione glanced at the elves, almost falling over themselves to serve her, standing on the tip of their toes. _Poor things._ She heard a clatter and Draco burst in, his hair a mess, and his clothes thrown on, his shirt still half open. Hermione rolled her eyes and got back to eating, opening her paper. This routine was the same for every morning she'd been here. Draco was the most moody in the morning, and whatever he did, whatever he said, you had to be sure to keep out of his way and definitely not annoy him. Draco scraped the chair behind him and sat down with a thump opposite Hermione. Hermione sighed and put down her paper, looking across at him with distaste. Her eyes took a once over, and yet there was nothing seriously bad with how he looked. How on earth did he manage to _still_ look attractive, even if he's literally rolled out of bed? Sure, his hair was messy... In a good way. His hands were clumsy... In a good way. His shirt was half open... In a good way. His eyes were still half asleep, _in a good way._ Draco's head tilted up, and he raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

"Really? Fantasizing about me _this_ early in the morning?" He smirked. Hermione narrowed her eyes sharply.

"You should shut your mouth." She said, crunching into her toast, scowling. She just heard him snigger.

"So I was thinking... Want to do something today?" He asked haltingly, and Hermione stopped eating to look up.

"Like what?" She answered suspiciously, obviously implying he'd want to do something immoral.

Draco ignored her. "I was thinking... Hogsmeade?" Hermione put down her spoon.

"Hogsmeade?" She said. "Why Hogsmeade?" Draco shrugged.

"We're both bored, aren't we?" He replied, and that's all he said. The elves hurried in with his food, and he replied with a nod. They both ate for a while before Hermione spoke.

"When do you want to go?" Draco looked up.

"Maybe in a few hours?" He replied. Hermione tilted her head, and Draco looked at her curiously.

"I assume you want to pretty yourself up in case you see a girl worth flirting with, right?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Wow, Granger." Draco smirked. "You know me all too well." He finished eating and pushed his plate away. Two elves immediately rushed to the table and took the plates into their hands. Hermione and Draco both watched them disappear into the door at the far end of the room which led to the kitchen. Draco pushed his chair back and stood up, probably about to go and get ready. Hermione folded the newspaper back up and felt Draco's footsteps walk, before she felt sudden fingers on her chin, tilting her head up to Draco's face.

"Does that mean you're going to pretty yourself up too?" Draco asked, looking down at her, his fingers still grazing her chin. Hermione felt herself unable to look away in the few seconds Draco searched her eyes, before he took his hand away and walked out of the door with a sudden creak. Hermione frowned, looked at her plate, and then stared at the wall. Did that actually just happen? And what did he even mean when he said that, anyway?

**A/N: I AM SO SO SO SO **_**SO**_** SORRY! And I know this chapter is so short! I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still alive! It's just that school's been crazy and whatnot. I hope I haven't lost any readers? ...Hopefully? Please stay with me!**


	13. The Extremely Short Spat

"Well, the weather's definitely getting chillier." Hermione said, as herself and Draco walked down the cobbled pathway of Hogsmeade. It was nearly two in the afternoon, although Hogsmeade wasn't particularly busy, since most of Hogwarts was still in school. Draco glanced down at her. Hermione caught his eye for a second, before both of them focused on the way they were walking. Hermione cleared her throat, and remembered something she'd been meaning to ask.

"So Malfoy, I saw some interesting posters in your room this morning." Hermione said slowly, and turned her head to raise an eyebrow meaningfully. Draco just looked down at her with a look of disdain.

"Your point is?" He asked, his eyes flicking to the many of the shops rising on either side of them.

"Nothing. I simply pity the girls whose feelings you've played with." Hermione replied airily. Draco frowned.

"Is that any of your business? It's not like it involves you in any way." Draco said, digging his hands in his pockets.

"I was just saying." Hermione mumbled. "It's almost like you've never loved anyone properly before." She continued, talking to herself. Draco turned to her with an angry and accusing stare. They both stopped walking.

"So maybe I have, maybe I haven't." Draco said, looking icily at Hermione. "It's _none_ of your business, anyway." He finished. Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Draco shook his head, his eyes as hard as stone. "Don't be so sure and quick to say things like. Don't act like you know me. Because you don't."

And with that, Draco walked away, his fingers coming up to turn the collar of his coat up, and leaving Hermione behind.

It was certainly going to be an interesting day out.  
**_  
A/N: Please please please forgive me for this wait, and the pathetically short chapter. I'm starting to lose inspiration, but I'm going to fight for this story, because I love writing it. I understand if I've lost the majority of the readers. :S**


	14. What A Snotty Attitude

Hermione watched him go, and halted, stuck between whether she should go after him, or stay back. I mean, should she just swallow everything down and go after him? It certainly wouldn't help her mood, and Hermione was obviously a stubborn person. But in the end... Hermione bit her lip. It was their day out, wasn't it? It would just complicate things to have arguments now, especially if they bumped into anyone. Hermione slowly and quietly followed Draco, wherever he was going, an appropriate distance back. She looked up, and maybe she was wrong, but saw Draco turn his head ever so slightly and flick his eyes towards her. They continued in silence anyway.

They rounded a corner into the main square of Hogsmeade. Draco turned to go into Honeydukes, and Hermione stopped at the door, nearly barging into him. Draco stopped, as if he was about to turn and talk to Hermione, but he just turned the handle of the door and disappeared in. Hermione sighed. She knew she was the one in the wrong this time, walked down the entrance steps, going round to the side wall of the building and propped her foot up, waiting for Draco, and also out of site. It was probably only a few minutes, but after ages –for Hermione- a tinkling of a door was heard, and familiar sounding footsteps resonated on the stone steps. Hermione was about to lean off the wall and walk over before she heard a few giggles from some girls that sounded quite near to Draco. Hermione narrowed her eyes and inched to the corner of the wall to see what was happening.

"Hey, Draco." The two girls chorused, waggling their fingers at him. He nodded, and looked slightly bemused. It looked as if he wasn't really bothered to flirt with these two, and would rather watch their antics to get to him. "So..." One girl said. It occurred to Hermione that they were probably both in Slytherin. No other girls in any other house were bold enough to go and talk, even flirt, with Draco Malfoy. "What brings you to Hogsmeade?" Draco fleetingly looked at the floor.

"I'm here with Granger." He said, and it was hard to pick out any strong emotion in the neutral tone he spoke in.

Hermione was still, and anticipated what the two girls would say.

The other girl, who hadn't spoken yet made a gagging noise. Hermione's eyes went to Draco, who hadn't reacted.

"You were paired with Granger?" The girl with short hair exclaimed. "Ugh, you poor thing!" Hermione scowled when she saw a ghost of a smile tilted Draco's mouth, and he simply shrugged.

"Natalie and I here didn't want to risk the chance of being paired with someone despicable" – Hermione's mouth went aghast- "like her, so we didn't take part. We're just bunking." Her friend giggled and agreed.

"Imagine!" Natalie giggled, referring to Hermione being despicable, and her gaze went to Draco. "Her and Tulip would be black and blue by the first day." Hermione's mouth was set in a hard line, and there was still no noticeable reaction from Draco. Hermione had gathered by now that the two girls' names were Natalie and Tulip.

"So, Draco," Tulip said, and her voice lowered as if she didn't want to be heard. Hermione had to lean forward slightly to hear them. "What's Granger _really_ like?" Draco took an intake of breathe, and his head tilted.

"Well... She's her. She's Granger." Was all he said. Hermione didn't know whether she should be happy or angry at his response. Natalie snorted loudly.

"What, you mean her filthy blood, her snotty attitude," she counted off her fingers, "the know-it-all personality, the fact that she's a stupid teacher's pet, those imbeciles she calls her friends..." In the midst of her name calling, she looked up at the sky. When her eyes were on the course of going back down, they caught on Hermione, and she fell silent. Draco and Tulip looked at each other curiously, before slowly turning round, and seeing Hermione. Hermione herself wasn't feeling embarrassed, or even mildly humiliated. The thing that came to mind was the fact that Draco had done nothing while Natalie had been 'describing' her. Her mind suddenly seemed to blank and empty, and all she wanted to do was walk away. Hermione calmly walked in front of Honeydukes, and eventually in front of them without even glancing. She would've carried on walking, but Draco held her sleeve. Her eyes went to her sleeves, and then to him. Without hesitation, she shook his hand off harshly, and continued walking.

"Granger. Wait." Draco called to her. She looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"What, aren't you afraid you'll be infected by my snotty attitude?" She called back.

The two girls at least had the grace to look ashamed.  
**_  
A/N: No make up for you guys! I like a good argument. But don't worry; they'll eventually patch things up. Hopefully. Thank you all so much for reading! I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you guys.**


	15. Aftermath

So who was in the wrong now? Hermione still couldn't decide when she walked into the Three Broomsticks to have a butterbeer. Thank God there wasn't anyone she knew in there. She sat down, ordered with a smile, and then sipped. Why did Draco react so overly to what she said? Was it something to do with his past, or was he just embarrassed at such a personal question? Meanwhile, Draco sat on the entrance steps, scowling. What was her _problem?_ Of course he wasn't going to stand up to her, she'd pissed him off for Merlin's sake. And it's not like they were best buds, was it? She was so _infuriating_ sometimes. He sat back with a sigh. Of all things to happen, they just had to fall out. The whole point of this trip was to try and get along. Hermione glanced around, and realized how bored she was. Sure, she was still pretty miffed at Draco. But was she actually going to let this get to her? She swirled the last drops of Butterbeer around the stained glass before tipping it down her mouth, not really tasting it. She walked out, determined to try and clear her mind. Draco stood up, and surveyed the area. Had Hermione apparated back? He shook his head, and decided to go for a walk. He glanced at the shops, and almost smiled when he saw Flourish and Blotts, almost imagining Hermione rushing into the store, with no regard to any other customers. His mind snapped back to when Hermione was walking away, leaving him with Tulip and Natalie. Rather than putting him in a sour mood, it made him contemplate how quick Hermione was to love and hate. On paper, she was the perfect student, the perfect friend. But if you met her in person... Draco smiled, shaking his head. Hermione sat with a huff on a tree stump. She had cooled down relatively quickly, rather than holding a giant grudge and not showing she was angry. Now she was annoyed, maybe even at herself, for ruining the day out. What was she supposed to do now? Look for Draco? She leaned back on her hands, and checked her watch. It had been around half an hour since their little fall out. Hermione sighed, watching her breath swirl into the air. Draco leant against a wall, wrapping his hands around his sides. Tilting his head up, he glanced at the cloud-filled sky and wondered what to do now.  
**_  
I think I might possibly the worst person in the world. I'm sorry for the pathetic chapter, but I promise it will move forward. And also, the point I was trying to get across was that Hermione can get very annoyed and have a tantrum, but simmers down very quickly, and then almost childishly huffs and puffs, wondering what to do next. But yes, I am the worst person ever.**


	16. What a Weird Way to Make Up

Hermione bit her lip, and was torn between going to Draco and simply gulp everything down and apologize, or just walking away and making the whole thing create a distance between them. Hermione looked around. The thing was, she was rather embarrassed about the whole thing, and hoped Draco would come to her first. She flushed, and realized what an awkward situation she was in now, and just wanted them to both be made up and normal again. Minutes ticked past as Hermione sat. Long, boring minutes. Hermione sighed and looked around sadly, but to no avail. She stood up, pictured Malfoy Manor, and apparated with a pop.

Draco walked more quickly around the corner as he heard a quiet, but still audible pop. He looked at the few tree stumps framed by evergreens, but found nothing there. He huffed, deciding he had started to hear things. Draco had decided, after thinking for a while, that she should just find Hermione and make up with her as soon as possible. After all, It was only a little spat that would be amended as soon as they both apologized. He sighed, looking around. He was getting irritated that he couldn't find her. I mean, she should be around her sulking _somewhere_.

"Ah, Miss Granger!" Greeted one of the head house elves, Alena, warmly.

"Oh, hello Alena." Hermione breathed, still getting over the side effects of apparating. Alena looked behind Hermione and her face creased into a slight frown.

"Is Draco not with you?" Alena murmured up at her, her tone worried.

"Draco is..." Hermione stopped trying to think of an excuse. She trusted Alena. "In truth, we had a little spat. I couldn't find him-" _Well, I can allow myself at least that white lie._ "-So I came back here."

Alena nodded slowly, but somehow sadly. "A spat.." She said quietly, and then looked up at Hermione. "But I was so sure you two were getting along well! I was so sure Draco liked you!"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Alena's sudden exclamation. Then she just shrugged. "I guess today wasn't a good day for either of us." She paused, and realised how tired she was. It was only around 5 in the afternoon... That wasn't late. Was it? "I'll be in my room." Alena nodded, and watched Hermione walk up the stairs with a look of concern on her face, before it creased into a weary smile.

"Ah, youngsters these days." She murmured quietly, shaking her head.

~.~.~.~.~

Draco blew on his fingers, leaning against the wall he had just come back to after travelling around in circles. Where in _hell_ was that girl? Sure, they'd had a spat, but wasn't avoiding him a bit much? He hadn't even brought a jacket with him..

Well, maybe a look once more around wouldn't hurt.

_This girl is going to kill me._

~.~.~

Hermione paced around the front room, continually looking out of the windows. Where in _hell_ was Draco? Sure, they'd had a spat, but wasn't staying out until dark a bit much? Merlin, he hadn't even brought a bloody jacket with him, he was going to freeze.

Hermione sat down for around thirty seconds, before jumping up and pacing around again. In truth, if anything had happened to him, she didn't want to end on a stupid argument that they were both too stubborn to just quickly amend. Hermione bit her lip.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Was that a door opening? Hermione listened, on the tips of her toes, before quickly sighing. It was just Alena.

Twenty five minutes.

_Where the hell was he?!_

Twenty seven minutes.

_God, could time go any slower?_

Thirty minutes.

Thirty two m-

"Alena?"

Hermione jumped, instantly recognizing the voice. She stormed out of the room and up to Draco. Without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him down to her height threateningly.

"And just where the hell have _you_ been?" Hermione said, her eyes blazing. Draco just looked at her with wide eyes, before looking down at the hand balled up in his shirt and slowly back up. Was that a wince? "I have been _waiting_, pissed off out of my _mind! _You think it's just _okay_ to skulk around in the dark by yourself, freezing to death because you think you're too cool to wear a jacket? Do you?" She finished, her breathing a little hard.

Draco looked at her, daring to look slightly bemused. He wrapped his hands around Hermione's fist in his shirt, teasing her. He tilted his head as if he was comforting a small child who had just had a tantrum.

"I was looking, for _you._" He said slowly, deliberately.

Hermione stood firm by her point, so self assured, still so _stubborn_. It was almost admirable. She retaliated by shaking her balled up fist. Draco took the hint and his hands slid off.

Hermione looked at him, her eyes incredibly hard. She pulled him closer until they were almost touching noses.

"Yes, and _I_ was waiting for _you_." She hissed. "Don't you _ever,_" She continued, pushing the fist into his chest to emphasize her point, "_**ever**_, make me wait for you again." And with that, she instantly let go of his shirt and stalked off, making for the stairs. Draco smirked.

"Do you really think I can learn my lesson when your hands are all over me?" He called after her.

"Oh, shut up Malfoy!" Hermione shouted back. Draco heard a tinge of amusement in her voice and smiled.

What a weird way to make up.  
**_  
A/N: FORGIVE ME FORGIVE ME FORGIVE ME MY LOVELY READERS.**

**I STILL LOVE YOU.**


	17. Two Cats Meet

**A/N: My apology is at the end. I am really, really, honestly and truly sorry for having such a long leave.  
_**

Finally, things were back to normal between the two of them. Of course, there was the odd – "_Could you _be_ more stubborn?"_ – but they quickly realized that having stupid, petty arguments was the norm between the two of them. It was weird. But weird was good.

Hermione lugged her suitcase up behind her. "Ready yet?" Draco rolled his eyes, lugging his own up to hers. The last few days had passed surprisingly quickly, and it was now time for their stay at Hermione's. Which would be interesting.

"Yes, _mother._" Draco replied, holding out his arm. Hermione took it, grumbling.

"If I was your mother, I would've slapped you silly a long time ago."

"And what's stopping you now?"

"Don't push it, Malfoy."

"Yes, mother."

And before Hermione could _really_ slap him silly, they apparated.

~.~.~

Cassia stayed quietly in the middle of the floor. Hermione sighed, pulling the hairband out of her hair, brushing it back.

"Really, I don't even know why you brought her back here. Crookshanks will definitely not like her-" Draco gave her a pointed look. "-No offence, obviously, but I don't think your mother would appreciate coming home and seeing Cassia with half of her face scraped off."

Draco looked at Cassia, who looked back, blinking with big eyes.

"Granger, you haven't seen Cassia fight. And when I say fight, I mean _fight_."

Hermione shrugged. "Fine, but when Crookshanks comes to me-"

A rusty yowl could be heard behind Hermione. Too late. She took a deep breath, turning behind her to see Crookshanks, his squished face looking up at her.

"Well, if he hasn't scraped her face off already, I think we're pretty much safe." Draco commented. Hermione hummed and stepped out of the way, letting Crookshanks see Cassia.

They regarded each other.

Strange, Hermione noted. It felt a bit like she was Crookshanks, and Cassia was Draco, albeit gender reversed.

And to be honest, she liked Cassia a lot more then Draco.

It was pretty silent, unless you counted the soft padding of paws as the two cats regarded each other, turning in an irregular circle.

Hermione still didn't know if her cat's reaction was good or bad, as she watched the two of them carefully. She glanced at Draco, who looked a little wary.

Pad, pad, pad.

And then, with one swift motion, Crookshanks stalked off into the living room, leaving Cassia in a flick of orange fur.

Hermione was slightly amused.

"So… Was that good or bad?" Draco asked, crossing his arms.

"Actually, I think Crookshanks is a bit shy." Hermione replied, her mouth curving into a smile.

"Oh, like you?" Draco grinned.

"Shut up."

"_Make_ me."

Hermione scowled. "My house, my rules."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm putting my muggle clothes on."

Hermione watched him lug his suitcase up the stairs, calling up. "Hey, d'you want to see where I work today?"

Draco stopped, peering down the banister at Hermione. "Wait, you have a _job?"_

"It's just at Costa- I mean, at a coffee shop. But yeah, it might be a big shock to see compared to your rich-boy lifestyle, so I suggest you prepare yourself." Hermione grinned.

Draco leant his suitcase against the wall, crossing his arms and putting them on the banisters, leaning down on them and looking down at Hermione, smirking. "Do you have to wear a maid's costume, by any chance?"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "God, you are literally the epitome of male hormones, you know." She said, her tone disgusted. "And no, I don't. Just an apron."

Draco opened his mouth in mock-shock. "What, with nothing underneath?"

Hermione just shot him a look, stalking off very much like Crookshanks into the kitchen, calling back. "You better get ready soon, or I'm just going to leave you here."

"We only just got back!" Draco retorted, rushing up the stairs.

"Not my problem!" Hermione trilled back.  
_

**A/N: Alright, I owe you guys a very big, and very sincere apology. I think I might possibly, be the worst author ever. I know, as do most of the long-term readers, that I am quite accustomed to long breaks. But in all honesty, my muse nearly abandoned this story, and for that I apologize. I obviously understand if this is too long a wait, and I have lost the majority of you, but hopefully some of you have stayed, because I know I have some extremely lovely readers. I also have other reasons, as school has been extremely asdfghjkl recently, and my normal laptop, the one I usually write my stories on, has completely broken down, so I'm currently using a spare one, which takes around 10 years to load if you even move the mouse (so yeah, writing this has taken a little over an hour, even for the very little I've written). Sigh.**

**Long story short, I am extremely sorry, my bbys. I still love all of you, and I will try my very hardest to get this going again! c:**

**Also, I have a request to ask any of you out there (*echoes*). If any of you are somewhat experienced with Harry Potter Roleplaying, or even better, RP'ing on Chatzy, please message me if you are interested, or rather willing, to play a male character.**

**Thank you all if you've stuck with me! I honestly don't deserve the 100 or so reviews I have so far, I am a terrible author.**

**I love you all! (^-^)**

**And, oh wow, I've just looked over the reviews, and I'm nearly reduced to tears to how kind all of you are. You guys really are the best. I am also very sorry if there are any hiccups in the grammar!**


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